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MAmni STUAET 





Mary Stuart 

Queen of Scots 




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COPVRIGHT, 1896 
BY 

THE MERRIAM COMPANY 



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MARY STUART, 

OUEEN OF SCOTS. 



PART FIRST. 



There are some names which, when borne by 
those of royal blood, seemed predestined to misfor- 
tune. In France the name of Henri is ill-omened. 
Henri I. was poisoned, Henri H. was killed in a 
tournament, Henri HI. and Henri IV. were assas- 
sinated, and God alone knows what fate has in re- 
serve for Henri V., on whom misfortune has already 
laid a heavy hand. 

In Scotland the name of Stuart is regarded as a 
synonym for sorrow and calamity. Robert I., 
founder of the race, died of a decline at twenty- 
eight. Robert II., happiest of the family, spent 
part of his life in retirement and darkness, being 
afflicted with an inflammation of the eyes which 
kept them constantly suffused with blood. Robert 



2 MARY STUART, 

III. sank under the poignant sorrow caused by the 
loss of one of his sons and the captivity of the 
other. James I. was murdered, James II. was 
killed at the siege of Roxburgh by the explosion 
of a cannon, James III. was assassinated by an 
unknown person in a mill where he had taken ref- 
uge after the battle of Saucheburn. James IV., 
wounded by two arrows and a blow from a halberd, 
perished on Flodden Field. James V. died of grief 
over the loss of his sons and remorse at having 
caused the execution of Patrick Hamilton. James 
VI., who wore the double crown of Scotland and 
England, dragged out a sickly, timorous existence 
between the scaffolds of his unhappy mother, 
Mary Stuart, and of his unfortunate son, Charles 
I. Charles II. spent part of his life in exile, and 
James II. died there. The Chevalier Saint George, 
having been proclaimed rightful king of England, 
Scotland, and Ireland by Louis IV., made an effort 
to regain his lost kingdom, but was obliged to flee 
from Great Britain ere he had struck a single blow. 
His son Charles Edward also attempted to regain 
the throne, but was defeated at Culloden, and 
forced to flee for his life with a high price on his 
head; he was hunted from mountain to mountain. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 3 

from rock to rock, until at last, after many roman- 
tic adventures, he succeeded in escaping to a 
French vessel and reached the Continent; he 
finally went to Florence, where he died at the age 
of sixty-eight, without being recognized as a sov- 
ereign by the European powers. Lastly, Henry 
Benedict, brother of Charles Edward, and the last 
descendant of the house of Stuart, lived upon a 
pension of three thousand pounds sterling from the 
English crown and died in obscurity in 1807, be- 
queathing to the house of Hanover, as a tardy but 
complete acknowledgment of the legitimacy of 
the family which had supplanted his own, the 
crown jewels which James II. had carried to the 
Continent when he was expelled from the throne. 

Of all this unfortunate race, Mary Stuart was 
the most unhappy. Brantome, who knew her at 
one of the saddest periods of her life, when she was 
leaving France, said that "those who desire to 
write of the illustrious Queen of Scotland have 
two fruitful subjects upon which to discourse — her 
life and her death." 

On the 9th of August, 1561, after the deaths 
of her husband and mother, Mary Stuart, Queen 
of Scotland and Queen Dowager of France, left 



4 MAI^y STUART, 

Paris to return to her own rough and turbulent 
country. She was accompanied upon her journey 
to Calais by her uncles, the Cardinals of Guise and 
Lorraine, the Due and Duchesse de Guise, the 
Due d' Aumale, M. de Nemours, and a large suite, 
among whom were MM. d'Elboeuf, Damville,- 
Brantome, and Chatelard. The young Queen tar- 
ried a week at Calais, but at last, after a sorrowful 
parting from her family, she embarked upon the 
15th of August on a galley commanded by M. de 
Mevillon and set sail for Scotland. Mary Stuart 
was then just nineteen and in the full flower of 
her beauty, a beauty so marvellous that few were 
able to resist its charms and many became its 
victims. 

As the royal galley was leaving the harbor, the 
Queen heard wild shrieks and cries for aid, and 
rushing forward, she beheld a vessel under full 
sail, which, through the ignorance of its pilot, had 
struck upon a rock in such fashion as to be al- 
most cut in twain, and was rapidly sinking. Pale 
and dumb with horror, she watched the vessel 
founder, while its unhappy crew made desperate 
efforts to save themselves by climbing up the 
shrouds and onto the yards, anxious to prolong 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 5 

their lives by even a few instants. The appalling 
spectacle lasted but a few moments; then hull, 
masts, yards, and all were engulfed in the sea's 
yawning maw. A black speck appeared here and 
there upon the surface of the sea, but one by one 
they vanished, and as the last man disappeared be- 
neath the waves the Queen sank trembling and 
weeping into the arms of her attendants, crying : 
" Oh, my God ! what an omen for such a voyage !'* 
When she had recovered somewhat, she seated her- 
self on deck and remained looking back at the 
slowly receding shores of the country she loved, 
weeping and murmuring : " Farewell, France ! 
Farewell !" 

At evening the sorrowful Queen was still 
lamenting and striving to pierce the gathering 
gloom, but little by little all objects became ob- 
scure;' and she finally yielded to the solicitations 
of her ladies and went down to supper; as she 
reached the companionway she turned and said: 
" Now, beloved France, I do indeed lose thee, for 
cruel night heaps mourning on mourning and 
blinds me with a black veil. Farewell, dear land ! 
Alas, I shall never see thee again !" She then 
observed that she was the opposite of Dido, who, 



6 MA/^Y STUART, 

after ^Eneas' departure, did naught but gaze on the 
sea, whereas she could not take her eyes from the 
land. 

During supper her ladies and gentlemen did 
their utmost to console her and distract her 
thoughts, but it was all in vain ; the poor Queen 
could not forget her grief nor banish a presenti- 
ment of coming trouble. Tears blinded and sobs 
choked her, and, unable to respond to her compan- 
ions' friendly endeavors, she soon left the table; 
after ordering a bed prepared for her in the 
after-cabin, she summoned the helmsman and com- 
manded him to waken her at daybreak if the coast 
of France was still visible. Fortune favored her, 
for the wind died away and at dawn the ship was 
still in sight of France. Faithful to his orders, 
the helmsman awakened the Queen, and from the 
open port-hole she once more looked upon the land 
of her affection ; but toward five o'clock the wind 
freshened, the ship gathered headway, and the last 
faint headlands disapppeared below the horizon. 
Then Mary, pale as death, fell back upon her pil- 
low, crying again : " Farewell, France ! Farewell, 
land of my happy days. I have looked upon thee 
for the last time." 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 7 

It was in truth in the country which it so 
grieved her to leave that Mary Stuart spent the 
only happy years of her life. Born near the bed- 
side of her dying father, in a gloomy and critical 
time for royalty in Scotland, the shadow which fell 
upon her cradle darkened her entire life, and the 
years she passed in France were her only bright 
ones. From birth she was calumniated, for it was 
current that she was deformed and could not live. 
Angry at this malicious report and determined to 
crush it, Mary de Guise one day undressed the 
infant princess and showed her naked to the Eng- 
lish ambassador, who had asked her hand on behalf 
of King Henry VIII. for the Prince of Wales, who 
was himself but five years old. Crowned at the 
age of nine months by Cardinal Beaton, Arch- 
bishop of St. Andrews, she was immediately after- 
wards secluded in Sterling Castle, where she was 
carefully guarded by her mother, who feared 
treachery on the part of the English king. Two 
years later, not thinking Sterling a secure retreat, 
the regent removed the royal child to an island in 
Lake Menteith, where an isolated monastery shel- 
tered her and four little girls who were born in the 
same year as herself, and like her bore the sweet 



8 MARY STUART, 

name of Mary, which in French (Marie) forms the 
anagram of the verb to love {aimer). These 
maidens were known as the " Queen's Marys," 
and were destined to be her companions through 
good and evil fortune. They were Mary Beaton, 
Mary Seaton, Mary Fleming, and Mary Livingston. 
In this secluded and lonely spot the little Queen 
resided, until, the Scottish Parliament having ap- 
proved her marriage with the Dauphin, she was 
taken to Dumbarton Castle to await a propitious 
moment for her journey to France, and it was 
there that she was confided to the care of M. de 
Breze, who had been sent by Henri II. to escort 
her to Paris. 

The ship which bore the little Queen and her 
maids to France bore also three of James V.'s 
natural sons, and among them the Prior of St. 
Andrews, James Stuart, who was destined to ab- 
jure the faith of his race, and under the titles of 
Earl of Murray and Regent of Scotland to bring 
misery and death upon his sister and rightful sov- 
ereign. Although hotly pursued by the English 
fleet, the vessel which carried the royal bride suc- 
ceeded in reaching Brest on the 15th of August, 
1548. From Brest Mary went to St. Germain-en- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 9 

Laye, where Henri II., who had just ascended the 
throne, welcomed her affectionately, showered gifts 
and caresses upon her, and then sent her to a con- 
vent where daughters of the noblest houses of 
France received their education. There Mary's 
mind developed rapidly; born with a woman's 
heart and a man's intellect, she acquired with mar- 
vellous ease not only the accomplishments which 
then constituted the principal education of a prin- 
cess, but also the exact sciences which supposedly 
fell only within the province of learned doctors. 
At the age of fourteen she delivered a Latin dis- 
course of her own composition before Henri II., 
Catherine de Medicis, and the assembled court, in 
which she maintained that women should receive 
a liberal education in the sciences and literature, 
and that it was unjust and tyrannical to restrict 
them to elementary studies and accomplishments. 
One can readily understand that a future queen who 
upheld such advanced opinions was enthusiastically 
received by the most literary and pedantic court 
of Europe. Between the literature of Rabelais and 
Marot, which was on the wane, and that of Ron- 
sard and Montaigne, which had almost reached its 
apogee, Mary became the queen of poetry, and she 



10 MARY STUART, 

would have been quite content to wear no other 
crown than that of flowers, which Ronsard, De- 
bellay, Maison-Fleur, and Brantome daily placed 
upon her fair young head; but alas, fate willed 
otherwise, and in the midst of the fetes whose 
object was the resuscitation of chivalry came that 
fatal joust at Les Tournelles. Henri II., wounded 
in the eye by a lance, was prematurely laid beside 
his ancestors, and Mary Stuart ascended the throne 
of France. A year later she mourned her mother, 
and ere her tears were dry she was called upon to 
lament the loss of her royal spouse. 

" She was then," says Brantome, "most beauti- 
ful to behold ; the pure white of her skin struggled 
for supremacy with the whiteness of her veil, and 
the latter, being man's handiwork, was forced to 
yield the palm to the snowy pallor of her cheeks. 
I never saw her otherwise than pale," he continues, 
" during all the time that I had the honor to make 
one of her suite, first in France and later in Scot- 
land, whither she was forced to go to pacify her 
kingdom, which was torn by religious strife. Poor 
lady, she had no desire to go thither, and I often 
heard her say that she dreaded the journey like 
death itself ; she would far have preferred remain- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. il 

ing in France as a simple queen dowager with 
Touraine and Poitou for her dowry, but Messieurs 
her uncles advised her going to rule over her 
savage country and even urged her to do so. 
Alas ! afterward they bitterly repented their in- 
consistency." 

As we have seen, Mary followed her uncles' 
advice, and her voyage began under such melan- 
choly auspices that when she lost sight of France 
she thought to die of grief, and it was then that 
these well-known lines were penned: 

*' Adieu, plaisant pays de France, 
O ma patrie, 
La plus cherie, 
Qui as nourri ma jeune enfance. 
Adieu, France! adieu, mes beau jours! 
La nef qui disjoint nos amours 
N'a eu de moi que la moitie: 

Une part te reste, elle est tienne; 
Je la fie a ton amitie, 

Pour que de I'autre il te souvienne." 

This part of herself which she left in France 
was the body of the young king, who carried all 
her happiness with him to the tomb. 

Mary's last hope was that her little squadron 
might sight the English fleet and be compelled to 



12 MAJ^y STUART, 

return, but a fog of extraordinary density for the 
season enveloped the Channel from early Sunday 
morning until eight o'clock on Monday, and en- 
abled the little fleet to elude the English cruisers. 
When the fog lifted, Captain de Mevillon, who had 
steered blindly, discovered that he was in the 
midst of such a wilderness of reefs that one or 
more of his vessels must have perished had the 
fog endured a few moments longer; recognizing 
that portion of the Scottish coast of which he was 
abreast, he steered his vessels through the reefs 
with great ability and piloted his ships safely into 
the port of Leith. No preparations had been made 
for the Queen's reception, but on learning of her 
arrival the dignitaries of the town hastened to 
welcome and pay her homage and to make arrange- 
ment for the continuance of her journey to Edin- 
burgh. When the Queen saw the miserable beast 
with its shabby saddle which was to be her mount, 
the half-starved donkeys which were to bear her 
suite, and the rough men who formed the escort, 
she could not restrain her tears; visions of the 
beautiful palfreys with splendid housings, the 
richly garbed cavaliers mounted on superb steeds, 
and the well-equipped escorts of France passed 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 13 

before her swimming eyes. On the day she landed 
the poverty of her kingdom was revealed, and on 
the following she beheld its ferocity. 

After a sleepless night at Holyrood, during 
which, Brantome tells us, five or six hundred 
of Edinburgh's roughest inhabitants surrounded 
the castle and serenaded the Queen with an 
orchestra of wretched violins and rebecs, Mary 
desired to hear mass and repaired to the royal 
chapel. Unfortunately, the majority of the city's 
population was of the reformed religion, and, en- 
raged that the Queen should inaugurate her reign 
by this proof of loyalty to Catholicism, they forced 
their way into the church, armed with knives, 
stones, and clubs, and avowed their intentions of 
murdering the poor priest who was her chaplain. 
A scene of indescribable tumult ensued; the 
frightened priest fled from the altar and took 
refuge behind her Majesty, around whom the four 
Marys gathered in fear and trembling, while the 
Queen's brother, the Prior of St. Andrews, who, 
like many ecclesiastics of the time, was a better 
soldier than priest, seized a sword and, placing 
himself between Mary and the mob, swore that he 
would kill the first man who advanced another 



14 MAI^Y STUART, 

step. The Prior's courage and firmness combined 
with the Queen's dignified and dauntless demeanor 
cooled the Reformers' zeal, and they gradually re- 
treated. 

As has already been stated, Mary Stuart re- 
turned to her kingdom when the religious contro- 
versy between the Church of Rome and the Cal- 
vinists was at its height. A zealous Catholic, like 
all her mother's family, her presence in Scotland 
caused great anxiety to the Protestants, and a 
rumor spread that instead of disembarking at Leith, 
as she had been obliged to do because of the fog, 
she was to have landed at Aberdeen and to have 
met the Earl of Huntley — one of the peers who 
had remained faithful to the Catholic Church, and 
who, after the Hamiltons, was the most powerful 
ally of the house of Stuart. It was said that, 
backed by the Earl and twenty thousand men from 
the Highlands, the Queen intended to march upon 
Edinburgh and forcibly establish a Catholic faith 
throughout Scotland; events, however, soon dem- 
onstrated the falsity of this report. 

Mary was exceedingly fond of James Stuart, 
Prior of St. Andrews, who was the natural son of 
her father, James V., by a descendant of the house 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 15 

of Mar. This lady, despite her well-known liaison 
with the King and the son which she had borne 
him, had married Lord Douglas of Lochleven, by 
whom she had two other sons, William and George 
Douglas, who were, therefore, the Prior's half- 
brothers. Mary was scarcely seated upon the 
throne of Scotland before she bestowed upon the 
Prior the Earldoms of Mar and Murray, the former 
title being that of his maternal ancestors and the 
latter having been extinct since the death of the 
famous Thomas Randolph. 

Unluckily, James Stuart was not a man to rest 
content with barren honors. Having the titles, he 
coveted the lands pertaining to them, which had 
reverted to the crown when the male succession of 
the ancient earls became extinct, and which had, 
little by little, been appropriated by the powerful 
nobles upon whose estates they bordered. The 
Earl of Huntley had seized upon much of this 
crown property, and Mary, realizing that he would 
opppose the bestowal of it upon her brother, de- 
termined to see the Earl herself. Under pre- 
text of visiting her possessions in the north, she 
journeyed thither escorted by a small army com- 
manded by the newly created Earl of Mar and 



l6 MAEY STUART, 

Murray. The Earl of Huntley was not deceived 
by the apparent reason for this expedition, as his 
son, John Gordon, had just been sentenced to a 
term of imprisonment for some trivial abuse of 
authority; nevertheless, he showed all respect to 
the Queen, sending messengers to invite her to 
rest at his castle and hastening in person to meet 
her and place his house at her disposition. Un- 
happily, Mary reached Inverness before the Earl, 
and the governor, who was one of his retainers, 
refused her entrance to the castle, although it was 
a royal residence. Murray, convinced that it was 
useless to temporize with such rebellious subjects, 
ordered the governor's execution, and he was be- 
headed for high treason on the day previous to 
Huntley's arrival. 

This display of firmness convinced the Earl that 
the young Queen did not intend her nobles to ex- 
ercise the almost sovereign rights which her father 
had permitted them to arrogate, and, learning that 
his son had escaped from prison and placed him- 
self at the head of his vassals, he feared that he 
would be suspected of being privy to the act — as 
doubtless he was — and despite the kindly recep- 
tion which Mary accorded him he secretly departed 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 1/ 

from Inverness and hastened to the command of 
his soldiers, determined, as her Majesty's escort 
numbered only six or seven thousand men, to risk 
a battle. He claimed, however, as Buccleuch did 
when he attempted to wrest James V. from the 
hands of the Douglas, that he did not war against 
the Queen but against the Regent, who influenced 
her unduly and frustrated all her good intentions. 

Murray, knowing that a peaceful reign depends 
greatly upon the firmness displayed at its incep- 
tion, immediately convoked all the neighboring 
nobles to take the field against the insurgents, and 
as the house of Gordon was already too powerful 
all responded to his summons. It soon became 
apparent, however, that although the lesser nobles 
hated and feared Huntley, they entertained no 
great affection for the Queen, that they had not 
come to her assistance through loyalty, and that 
their future attitude would depend solely upon 
circumstances. 

The armies met near Aberdeen. Murray sta- 
tioned the troops which he had brought from Edin- 
burgh, upon whose loyalty he could depend, on the 
summit of a hill, and disposed his northern allies 
en echelon along its slope. Huntley advanced 



l8 MARY STUART, - 

resolutely and attacked his neighbors, who, after a 
brief resistance, retreated in disorder, whereupon 
the Earl's followers threw away their lances and 
crying, "A Gordon! A Gordon!" pursued the 
fugitives up the hill. Suddenly they came upon 
Murray's troops, who stood their charge like an 
iron wall, and who, armed with long lances, had a 
terrible advantage over the clansmen whose only 
weapon was the claymore. Huntley's men were 
forced to retreat, seeing which the nobles rallied 
their clans and reinforced the Queen's troops ; this 
movement decided the victory; the clans rushed 
down the hillside like a furious torrent, carrying 
everything before them, and Murray, seeing that 
the decisive moment had come, gave the order to 
charge, and, sweeping down the hill with all his 
cavalry, turned defeat into' rout. The Earl of 
Huntley, who was very stout and clad in heavy 
armor, fell from his charger and was trampled to 
death by the Queen's horsemen. John Gordon 
was taken prisoner and three days later was be- 
headed at Aberdeen, and the Earl's youngest son, 
who was a mere lad, was cast into a prison, which 
he left upon his sixteenth birthday, only to go to 
the scaffold. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. I9 

Mary had accompanied her troops and witnessed 
the battle, and her calm and courageous demeanor 
made a deep impression upon her savage defenders, 
who, during the march, heard her say repeatedly 
that she wished she were a man to pass her days 
in the saddle, her nights under a tent, and wear a 
coat of mail and a sword at her side. 

She re-entered Edinburgh amidst general rejoic- 
ing, her expedition against the Earl of Huntley 
having met with popular favor ; the motives which 
had actuated the Queen were but little understood, 
but the mass of the population were Calvinists 
and the Earl was a Catholic. His death, therefore, 
meant an enemy the less, and that sufficed to ren- 
der the Queen the idol of the hour. In their en- 
thusiasm her subjects expressed the wish that the 
Queen, who had no child by Francois H., should 
marry again. Mary consented, and, yielding to the 
prudent council of those who surrounded her, re- 
solved to consult Elizabeth regarding the choice 
of a husband; for, being Henry VH.'s grand- 
daughter, she was next in succession to the Eng- 
lish throne if Elizabeth died without issue. Un- 
fortunately, she had not always been so circum- 
spect, for on the death of Mary Tudor she had 



20 MARY STUART, 

claimed the English throne, basing her rights 
upon Elizabeth's illegitimacy, and she and the 
Dauphin had assumed the titles of King and Queen 
of Scotland, England, and Ireland, had had money 
bearing these titles coined, and the armorial bear- 
ings of those countries engraved upon their plate. 
Elizabeth was at this period in her twenty-eighth 
year — just nine years Mary's senior — so that they 
were not only rivals as queens but as women. 
Elizabeth was the superior in point of education 
and possessed a perspicacity and strength of pur- 
pose which the Scottish Queen lacked, but she had 
neither Mary's beauty and wit nor her gracious 
and captivating manner. Elizabeth was majestic 
in her bearing and agreeable to look upon; her 
eyes were keen and bright, and her complexion 
dazzling, but her hair was coarse and of a fiery red, 
and she had large hands and feet.* Mary, on the 
other hand, possessed an exquisitely fair skin, 
beautiful chestnut hair, and a noble forehead ; her 

* Elizabeth presented a pair of her shoes to the University of 
Oxford; their size would indicate that they were made for a man 
of medium height. 

Many historians have asserted that Mary Stuart's hair was 
black, but Brantome, who was of her suite in France and accom- 
panied her to Scotland, and must therefore often have seen it, 
says that it was chestnut. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 21 

eyebrows were so perfectly arched that she was 
sometimes accused of pencilling them, and a glance 
of her eyes was the most potent of love-philters ; 
her nose was moulded upon the purest Greek 
model ; her mouth was so rosy and smiling that it 
seemed formed only to murmur words of love, as a 
flower blooms only to emit its perfume. Her neck 
was white and graceful, her hands and feet per- 
fectly formed, and her figure that of a goddess ; in 
short she was an almost perfect specimen of fem- 
inine loveliness, with which the most critical could 
find little fault. Mary's beauty was her greatest 
crime; had there been a single blemish in her 
face or form she would never have perished on the 
scaffold. 

The cousins had never met, so Elizabeth could 
only judge by hearsay of Mary's loveliness and 
accomplishments, but the stories she heard caused 
her great uneasiness and gave birth to an intense 
jealousy, which she could not dissemble and which 
she continually displayed in peevish questions and 
testy remarks. One day, while talking informally 
with James Melvil concerning the object of his 
mission to her court, namely, the selection of a 
consort for the Queen of Scots^ she showed him 



22 MARY STUART, 

the portrait of the Earl of Leicester, and, as that 
nobleman was the suitor whom she favored, Melvil 
asked for the picture that he might show it to his 
royal mistress. Elizabeth refused, saying it was 
the only one she possessed, and then showed the 
ambassador a portrait of Mary Stuart herself, ask- 
ing if it was a good likeness, and expressed warm 
friendship for her and a great desire to see her. 

" It is a simple matter for you to see my mis- 
tress, madam," said Sir James; "you have only to 
feign illness, order your chamber closely guarded, 
and leave incognito for Scotland, as James V. did 
for France, when he wished to see Madeline de 
Valois." 

" I should like to do so," answered Elizabeth, 
"but the thing is not so simple as you think. 
Tell your Queen, however, that I love her tenderly, 
and that I hope we shall be better friends in the 
future." Then, broaching the subject which lay 
nearest her heart, she said : " Come, Melvil, tell 
me frankly, is my sister of Scotland as beautiful 
as they say?" 

" She is considered very handsome," responded 
Melvil, "but I can give your Majesty no idea of 
her beauty, having no point of comparison," 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 23 

" I will give you one," exclaimed Elizabeth ; " is 
she more beautiful than I ?" 

"Madam," returned Melvil, "you are the most 
beautiful woman in England, and my queen the 
loveliest in Scotland." 

"Which of us is the taller?" persisted Eliza- 
beth, dissatisfied with the ambassador's diplomatic 
reply. 

" I am forced to admit, madam," he answered, 
" that it is my mistress." 

" Then she is too tall," exclaimed Elizabeth 
pettishly, " for I am as tall as any woman ought to 
be ! What are her favorite amusements ?" she 
continued. 

" Her Majesty is fond of hunting, riding, and 
playing the lute and harpsichord." 

" Does she play the latter well ?" asked Eliza- 
beth. 

" Yes, your Highness, very well — for a queen." 

The conversation stopped there, but, as Elizabeth 
was a fine musician, she instructed Lord Hudson to 
bring Melvil into her apartments when she was at 
her harpsichord, that he might hear her play with- 
out mistrusting that the performance was for his 
benefit. Lord Hudson accordingly escorted the 



24 MARY STUART, 

Scotch ambassador into a gallery which was sepa- 
rated from the queen's private apartments only 
by tapestry hangings, and, having drawn them aside, 
Melvil listened at his leisure to her brilliant per- 
formance. On rising from the instrument Eliza- 
beth was apparently greatly surprised to find she 
had an auditor in Melvil, and feigning great anger 
she berated Lord Hudson roundly, even threaten- 
ing to strike him ; but her indignation gradually 
yielded to the Scotchman's neatly turned compli- 
ments, and was completely appeased when he ad- 
mitted that she played far better than the Queen 
of Scotland. 

Not satisfied with this triumph, Elizabeth de- 
sired that Lord Melvil should see her dance and 
have an opportunity of comparing her grace of car- 
riage with his queen's; she therefore delayed the 
signing of her dispatches for two days in order 
that the ambassador should be present at a magni- 
ficent ball that she gave. These dispatches which 
Melvil bore to Scotland set forth Elizabeth's de- 
sire for Mary Stuart's union with Robert Dudley, 
Earl of Leicester. Such a proposition could not se- 
riously be considered, for the Earl's attainments 
were but mediocre, and his birth too humble to 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 25 

render him a suitable husband for the house of 
Stuart. Mary therefore responded that such an al- 
liance was unfitting the Queen of Scotland. 

Out of the English Queen's attempt to belittle 
her cousin by leading her into an unsuitable mar- 
riage there grew a strange and tragic story. 
Among the nobles who had followed Mary Stuart 
to Scotland was a young gentleman named Chaste- 
lard, who was a perfect type of the nobility of the 
day. Of gentle birth, for he was a nephew of 
Chevalier Bayard, accustomed to the best society 
of Europe by virtue of his lineage and his position 
in the household of Marechal Damville ; handsome 
in person, cultivated in mind, a poet and knight 
errant,' he possessed every attribute for the win- 
ning of a woman's heart. Thanks to his position 
with the Marechal, Chastelard had ample opportu- 
nity to pay court to Mary Stuart during her resi- 
dence in France, and he soon lost his heart to the 
beautiful, amiable princess, who, on her side, saw 
nothing more in his gallant speeches and the pas- 
sionate verses he addressed to her than the poetic 
and sentimental declarations commonly addressed 
to ladies at that epoch. It so chanced that at the 
moment when Chastelard's infatuation for the 



26 MAJ^V STUART, 

Queen was at its height she was obliged to go to 
Scotland, and that Marechal Damville, who had 
been encouraged by Mary's gracious demeanor to 
enter the lists as a candidate for the succession to 
Francois II., and who was unaware of Chastelard's 
passion, determined to follow the unhappy lady 
into exile, and took the poet with him to Edin- 
burgh. Little thinking that Chastelard too loved 
the Queen, he made him his confidant, and when 
obliged to return to France left the young man 
at Holyrood to watch over his interests. 

The position of the confidant, almost that of an 
ambassador, threw Chastelard constantly into the 
society surrounding the Queen, and, as in his 
capacity of poet she treated him fraternally, his 
unhappy passion increased and encouraged him to 
believe that Mary was not indifferent and that he 
might gain another title than that of " my poet," 
by which she frequently addressed him. 

Emboldened by the Queen's affability, he stole 
into her chamber one evening and hid beneath her 
bed; but before she had dismissed her women, her 
lap-dog began to bark and growl with such vehe- 
mence that her attendants were alarmed, and, 
searching the cause of the anirnal's excitement, 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 27 

discovered Chastelard. A woman easily forgives a 
wrong committed through love, and Mary Stuart, 
being more woman than queen, pardoned Chaste- 
lard. But her gentleness only served to increase 
the unfortunate gentleman's mistaken confidence; 
he attributed the sharp reprimand he received to 
the presence of her women, and was persuaded 
that had she been alone she would have forgiven 
the audacity. Three weeks later he again secreted 
himself in her room, but a maid, having occasion to 
go to the closet where he was concealed, discov- 
ered him after the Queen was in bed, and this 
time the officer of the guard was summoned and 
Chastelard delivered into his hands. 

The moment was inauspicious ; such a scandal 
occurring at a time when the Queen contemplated 
matrimony would have proved fatal to her reputa- 
tion and interest if the audacious lover had not 
been made to pay the full penalty of the law. 
Murray took the matter in hand, and, deeming that 
a public trial alone could save his sister's reputa- 
tion, he pushed the accusation of leze-majesty 
with such vigor that Chastelard was condemned to 
death. The Queen desired to commute his sen- 
tence to banishment and to send him back tg 



28 MARY STUART, 

France, but Murray convinced her that such use 
of the pardoning power would entail terrible con- 
sequences, and greatly against her desires she was 
forced to let justice take its course. 

On mounting the scaffold which had been 
erected before the palace, Chastelard declined the 
services of a priest, and requested that Ronsard's 
" Ode to Death" be read to him. He listened with 
evident pleasure, and when the reading was at an 
end, turned toward the Queen's windows and cried : 
" Farewell, most lovely and most cruel Queen ! 
Farewell!" He then submitted himself to the 
executioner and died bravely without expressing 
either repentance or complaint. His death made 
a deep impression upon Mary, who grieved over 
the gallant gentleman's sad fate, feeling it the 
more keenly because she dared not be openly com- 
passionate. 

During this time the news that the Scottish 
Queen was inclined to marry again had spread 
throughout Europe, and many aspirants came for- 
ward, among them scions of the most illustrious 
houses of Europe. The first suitor was the Arch- 
duke Charles, third son of the Emperor of Ger- 
many; the second^ the Crown Prince of Spain, 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 29 

Don Carlos, who was afterward put to death by 
his father; and thirdly, the Duke d'Anjou, who 
later became Henri III. The English queen, 
however, objected to them all, and as to have 
married a foreign prince was to renounce her 
right to the English throne, Mary yielded to 
Elizabeth's wishes. At last Lord Darnley, son of 
the Earl of Lennox and a descendant of the royal 
family of Scotland, went with Elizabeth's per- 
mission to try his fortune at Holyrood. 

Darnley was young, handsome, elegant, accom- 
plished, and a clever and amusing talker, possess- 
ing in. perfection the use of the attractive jargon 
affected by the nobles of the courts of France and 
England. Mary was charmed by his specious ap- 
pearance, and failed to perceive that beneath it 
Darnley hid profound ignorance, doubtful courage, 
and a weak but brutal nature. In his pursuit of 
the Queen's heart Darnley did not disdain to ally 
himself with one of her secretaries, David Rizzio, 
who had great influence with her — an influence as 
singular as his rise to the position he held in her 
household. 

David Rizzio, who played so prominent a role in 
Mary Stuart's life and whose extraordinary favor 



30 MAjRY STUART, 

in her sight furnished her foes with such deadly 
weapons against her, was a son of a musician of 
Turin, who had given him an excellent education. 
At the age of fifteen he left home and went to 
Nice, where the Duke of Savoy then held his court ; 
there, thanks to his proficiency as a musician, he 
entered the service of the Duke of Moreto, and 
when, some years later, the Duke was appointed 
ambassador to Scotland, Rizzio travelled in his 
suite to Edinburgh. As the young man played 
both the violin and rebec in a masterly manner, 
and was, moreover, possessed of a fine voice and 
sang delightfully ballads of which he composed 
both the music and the verse, the Duke spoke of 
him to the Queen, who desired to see him, and 
Rizzio was accordingly summoned to play before 
her Majesty. Being both shrewd and ambitious, 
the Italian saw a chance to better his position and 
exerted himself to the utmost to please ; he suc- 
ceeded so well that Mary asked him of Moreto, at- 
taching no more importance to the request than if 
she had asked for a well-bred dog or a well-trained 
falcon, and Moreto, delighted with this opportunity 
of doing her a favor, at once acceded to her request, 
Rizzio had been but a short time in the Queen's 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, Zi 

service before she perceived that music was the 
least of his accomplishments ; that he had a fine 
education, a clear, quick mind, and a strong, patient 
character hidden under refined, almost effeminate 
manners. He recalled to her the Italian artists 
whom she had met at the French court ; he spoke 
to her in the language of Marot and Ronsard, 
whose poems he knew by heart ; he flattered her 
with the subtle grace of a courtier, and the Queen, 
who found little congenial society at Holyrood, 
soon became warmly attached to him, and, the sec- 
retaryship of foreign dispatches becoming vacant, 
she appointed him to the office. 

Fearing some fresh intrigue on the part of 
Elizabeth, Mary hastened the preparations for her 
marriage and it was celebrated with great pomp on 
the 29th of July, 1565, amid the rejoicing of the 
people and with the full approval of the majority 
of the nobility. On the eve of the wedding the 
Earl of Lennox and his son received orders to re- 
turn to England, and a fortnight later they learned 
that Queen Elizabeth had wreaked her wrath at 
their disregard of her commands on the Countess 
of Lennox, the only member of the family who was 
within her reach, by committing her to the Tower. 



32 MARY STUART, 

Elizabeth, however, was not a woman to rest 
satisfied with so futile a revenge, and she soon re- 
leased the Countess and turned her attention to 
Murray, and it was not long before she persuaded 
him to take up arms against his sister. This was the 
first act of that hostility which proved fatal to Mary. 

The Earl of Murray, the head of the Protestant 
party, had strenuously opposed the Queen's mar- 
riage, partly on religious grounds, partly from 
personal dislike to the bridegroom, and because by 
it he would lose his influence over Mary. When 
it had taken place, he and some other nobles rose 
in arms to support the reformed religion, and 
within a month of her wedding-day Mary herself 
rode against them in armor with loaded pistols at 
her side, at the head of the finest army Scotland 
had ever seen. 

The Earl and his accomplices could not stand 
against the Queen's troops, and the campaign 
consisted in rapid marches and countermarches, 
which gained it the name of " the Runabout Raid." 
Driven out of Scotland, the nobles presented them- 
selves before Elizabeth, who called them traitors 
in public and privately assisted them in accord- 
ance with her crafty nature. 




STUART AND RIZZIO 




^ ^«^ 



mm 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 33 

Mary returned to Edinburgh overjoyed with the 
success of her first campaign, and little dreaming 
that it was the last favor fickle Dame Fortune 
would bestow upon her. She soon discovered that 
in wedding Darnley she had not given herself a 
gallant and devoted husband, but an imperious and 
brutal master, who, having no further reason for 
dissimulation, showed his true character ; he drank, 
frequented low society, ate gluttonously, and made 
a contemptible spectacle of himself in many mean 
and vain ways, and grave differences soon arose in 
the royal household. 

On marrying Mary, Darnley had not become 
king, but simply the Queen's husband, and in 
order to endow him with authority equal to that 
of a regent it was necessary that she should con- 
fer upon him the " Consort's Crown," which Fran- 
gois II. had worn during his brief reign, and this, 
because of his conduct, Mary steadily refused to 
do. Astonished at such resolution in one who 
had loved him well enough to raise him to her 
side, and convinced that she was not acting inde- 
pendently, Darnley sought to discover the secret 
counsellor whose advice militated against him, and 
his suspicion fell upon David Rizzio. 
3 



34 MARY STUART, 

From whatever source Rizzio's influence had its 
rise, whether he entreated Uke a lover or counselled 
like a minister, his advice was always for Mary's 
best interests, and bitterly regretful for his share 
in a marriage which he saw was destined to bring 
nothing but pain, humiliation, and sorrow to his 
beloved Queen, he urged her not to relinquish an 
iota of her authority to one who already possessed 
far more than he deserved in the possession of her 
person. Darnley, therefore, was not mistaken in 
thinking that he owed the failure of his ambitious 
projects to the opposition of the Italian. 

Like all men of weak but violent character, 
Darnley doubted the existence of firmness and 
resolution in others ; he could not conceive it pos- 
sible for a woman to hold steadily to a course of 
action unless supported by some extraneous influ- 
ence, and believing that if Rizzio were out of the 
way he could persuade his wife to accord him the 
" Consort's Crown," he made a contract with James 
Douglas, Earl of Morton, Lord Ruthven, and three 
other nobles to get rid of him by murder. 

The family of Douglas played so important a 
role in the history of Scotland, and in that of her 
unfortunate queen, that we must devote a little 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 35 

attention to them and explain how it happened 
that the Earl of Morton, then Lord Chancellor of 
the kingdom, should have become a party to so 
base a plot. The elder branch of the family, 
called the " Black Douglases," was extinct at this 
time, and the name was perpetuated in the 
younger branch, to whom the distinctive title of 
" Red Douglases" was applied. It was an ancient 
and illustrious family, which, when the male line of 
Robert Bruce's descendants became extinct, had dis- 
puted the crown with the first of the Stuarts, and 
since that period had kept close to the throne, 
sometimes as its supporter, frequently as its 
enemy. During the reign of James V., the Doug- 
lases not only lost their influence at court but were 
exiled to England, where they remained until his 
death. Recalled to Scotland through the interces- 
sion of Murray, who was connected with the fam- 
ily through his mother, and reinvested with power 
and court appointments, the Douglases were still un- 
forgiving; they visited the sins of James V. on his 
innocent daughter, and it was owing to this grudge 
against the Stuarts that James Douglas, Chancellor 
of Scotland, and charged with the execution of its 
laws, placed himself at the head of a dastardly 



36 MARY STUART, 

conspiracy whose object was the violation of all 
laws, both human and divine. 

The Earl of Morton's plan was to treat Rizzio 
as the favorites of James III. were treated at the 
Bridge of Lauder : to arraign him for maladminis- 
tration of his office as secretary of foreign dis- 
patches, and after a sham trial to hang him with- 
out further ceremony. This plan, however, did not 
suit Darnley, who desired to punish the Queen 
through Rizzio' s suffering, and he insisted that 
the hapless man be assassinated in her presence. 

Secretly as the conspirators plotted, an inkling 
of their intentions leaked out, and Rizzio received 
several anonymous warnings, which he treated con- 
temptuously. Sir James Melvil himself essayed 
to warn him of the dangerous position which a 
stranger enjoying the sovereign's entire confidence 
occupied at a court so rough and jealous as that of 
Scotland, but Rizzio was resolved not to abandon 
his post, and Melvil, feeling that he had done all 
that his conscience demanded, forebore to insist 
further. A French priest, who was reputed able 
to read the stars and foretell future events, also 
warned him that his life was in peril and that he 
must guard against the treachery of a certain bas- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 37 

tard ; to which Rizzio replied that on the day when 
the Queen had honored him with her confidence 
he dedicated his Hfe to her service, and that he 
was willing to lose it for her, but never to desert 
her ; adding that he had observed that the Scotch 
were in general quick to threaten but slow to act. 
He continued that as to the bastard of whom his 
reverence spoke, and who was doubtless the Earl 
of Murray, he would take care that he never came 
far enough into Scotland for his sword to touch 
him, though it were long enough to reach from 
Dumfries to Edinburgh, which was a way of say- 
ing that the earl would pass the remainder of his 
days in exile in England, for Dumfries was a fron- 
tier town. 

When Douglas and Ruthven had determined 
upon a plan for the assassination, they bargained 
with Darnley that, in payment for the bloody ser- 
vice they were to render him, he should obtain a 
pardon for Murray and the other nobles implicated 
in the " Runabout Raid." This Darnley agreed 
to do, and a courier was dispatched to the Earl 
apprising him of the cowardly deed about to be 
committed and advising him to make ready to re- 
turn to Scotland. The conspirators then made 



38 MARY STUART, 

Darnley sign a statement acknowledging himself 
as the instigator and leader of the undertaking, 
and agreeing to furnish a sum of money for the 
payment of the hired assassins with whom they 
had reinforced their numbers. Darnley, however, 
reserved the right to fix the time of the murder. 

Two days later, being informed that Rizzio was 
closeted with the Queen, he undertook to satisfy 
himself as to the degree of favor with which the 
secretary was honored; he therefore tried to enter 
her apartment by a private door, the key of which 
he always had about him, but he turned it in the 
lock to no purpose — the door would not open. He 
then knocked loudly, announcing himself to Mary, 
but such was her dislike and contempt for him 
that she would not admit him, although she had 
ample time to dismiss Rizzio, supposing that she 
was alone with him. 

Furious at this proof of her disdain, he sum- 
moned his assistants, Morton, Ruthven, Lennox, 
Lindsay, and George Douglas, the bastard of 
Angus, and Andrew Carew, and set the following 
night for the commission of their crime. They 
had just settled upon the details and allotted the 
parts which each was to play in the tragedy, when 



QUEEN OE SCOTS. 39 

the door of their council chamber was suddenly 
opened and the Queen appeared upon the threshold. 

" My lords," she said haughtily, " it is useless 
for you to hold these secret meetings, for I am 
fully informed of your plot, and with God's help I 
will soon apply a remedy." 

Then before the conspirators could recover from 
their surprise she closed the door and disappeared 
like a fleeting but ominous vision, leaving them 
dumb with amazement and consternation. 

The Earl of Morton was the first to regain 
his self-possession. " Gentlemen," he exclaimed, 
" this is a game of life and death, and the victory 
will belong not to the strongest, but to the most 
prompt. If we do not make an end of that man 
we shall lose our own lives. He must die to- 
night and not to-morrow !" 

All applauded the Earl's speech, even Ruthven, 
who promised not to be behindhand, although he 
was still ill from a recent debauch ; but after some 
discussion it was decided wisest to postpone the 
deed until the following night, as they required at 
least twenty-four hours to assemble the minor con- 
spirators, who numbered some hundred and fifty 
men. 



40 MARY STUART, 

It so happened that the next day, which was a 
Saturday, and the 9th of March, 1566, Mary, who 
had inherited the hatred for etiquette and the 
strong love of freedom and unconventionality 
which had distinguished her father, James V., in- 
vited half a dozen people, including Rizzio, to sup 
with her. Darnley, being early informed of the 
Queen's plans, communicated them to his confed- 
erates, with the promise that he himself would 
admit them to the palace between six and seven in 
the evening. 

The day was gloomy and tempestuous, as the 
early days of spring are apt to be in Scotland ; 
toward evening the wind redoubled in fury and 
snow began to fall heavily. Mary was with Rizzio 
all the afternoon, and Darnley, stealing frequently 
to listen at the private door, could hear soft laugh- 
ter, with the sound of the guitar and the favorite's 
voice singing those sweet melodies which have 
come down to our own day, and which the people 
of Edinburgh still ascribe to him. They recalled 
to Mary her happy life in France and the artists 
who had come thither in the suite of the Medicis, 
but to Darnley they were an insult ; the sound of 
their pleasure maddened him and fed the flame of 



QUEEN OE SCOTS. 41 

his jealousy, and each time that he left the door 
he was more determined upon the Italian's death. 

At the appointed hour the conspirators, who had 
received the countersign during the day, knocked 
at a door leading into an unfrequented part of the 
palace and were admitted by Darnley ; the major- 
ity, numbering over a hundred, stole into an inner 
court, where they sought shelter from the storm 
and from prying eyes under a cart-shed. A single 
brilliantly lighted window gave upon this court- 
yard — it was that of the Queen's cabinet, wherein 
Mary with her ladies, her sister. Lady Argyle, and 
the doomed man sat at supper, and upon a given 
signal, which was to proceed from this window, 
the soldiers were to force the palace door and rush 
to the assistance of their leader. 

Having given these instructions, Darnley con- 
ducted Morton, Ruthven, Lindsay, Douglas, and 
Carew up a private staircase, dark and steep, into 
an apartment adjoining the Queen's cabinet and 
separated from it only by a tapestried door, which 
rendered it possible to hear all that was said by 
Mary and her guests, and to rush in upon them at 
an instant's notice. 

After warning them that they were on no ac- 



42 MAJ^Y STUART, 

count to appear until he cried, " Help, Douglas," 
and going around by a private corridor so that, 
seeing him come in by the door he ordinarily 
used, the Queen's suspicions might not be aroused 
by his unforeseen visit, Darnley entered the cab- 
inet. 

The conversation around Mary's supper-table 
was gay and unrestrained by court etiquette; the 
company were in the best of spirits and had aban- 
doned themselves to the delightful sense of well- 
being which one experiences when seated at a 
sumptuous table in a warm, bright room, while 
the wind is howling around the house and the 
sleet beating on the windows. Surprised by a si- 
lence which abruptly fell upon her guests, and in- 
ferring from the direction of their glances that the 
cause of their disquietude was behind her, Mary 
turned and perceived Darnley leaning on the back 
of her chair. Noting the malignancy of his ex- 
pression, she divined that something terrible was 
about to occur, and at once rose to her feet. At 
the same moment she heard a heavy, dragging step 
approach the cabinet, the portieres separating it 
from the larger room beyond were pushed aside, 
and Lord Ruthven, who had risen from a sick-bed 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 43 

to do this murder, came in gaunt and ghastly, and 
drawing his sword, leaned silently upon it. 

"What do you wish, my Lord Ruthven?" de- 
manded the Queen, "and why do you appear at 
the palace in armor?" 

" Question your husband, madam," replied 
Ruthven gruffly ; " it is his place to answer that 
question." 

"Explain this intrusion, my Lord," Mary de- 
manded, turning haughtily toward Darnley f " what 
is the meaning of this unsolicited visit, this dis- 
regard of propriety?" 

" It means, madam," answered Darnley, point- 
ing toward Rizzio, " that that man must leave this 
room instantly." 

" He shall not leave the room," replied the 
Queen ; " I read his danger in your face, and it is 
my will that he remain here." 

" Help, Douglas !" cried Darnley. 

At these words the murderous nobles, who had 
been drawing nearer to Ruthven for some mo- 
ments, fearing from the well-known fickleness of 
Darnley' s character that he might not dare give 
the signal and so would have brought them there 
to no purpose, rushed into the room, overturning 



44 MARY STUART, 

the supper- table and pushing the guests roughly 
aside. Rizzio, comprehending that it was his life 
that they sought, ran behind the Queen for shel- 
ter and protection, crying in Italian, " Giustizia ! 
giustizia !" 

The Queen, true to the gallant blood that flowed 
in her veins, stood before the trembling man and 
strove to protect him with the mantle of her ma- 
jesty. But she relied too much upon the respect 
of these rough Scotch nobles, whose ancestors had 
been fighting against their kings for five centu- 
ries ; they were not men to be balked by a helpless 
woman, even if she was their queen, and Andrew 
Carew, pointing his dagger at her breast, threat- 
ened her with instant death if she persisted in 
shielding the man whose life they had vowed to 
take. Then Darnley, regardless of the fact that 
the Queen was soon to become a mother, seized 
her around the waist and half carried, half dragged 
her away from Rizzio, while the bastard Douglas, 
fulfilling the priest's prophecy, sprang upon the 
luckless secretary and plunged a dagger into his 
breast. Rizzio sank to the ground, wounded, but 
not dead, whereupon they all fell upon him, strug- 
gled with him, and dragged him from the room. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 45 

leaving upon the floor a long trail of blood, the 
stain of which may be seen to this day, and at the 
head of the grand staircase they killed him with 
fifty -one stabs. During all this time Darnley 
held the Queen, who, thinking all hope was not 
lost, never ceased to plead for mercy; finally 
Ruthven reappeared, ghastlier than ever, and on 
Darnley's inquiring if Rizzio was dead, merely 
nodded affirmatively, and then, unable to bear any 
further fatigue in his weakened condition, he 
calmly seated himself, although the Queen, whom 
Darnley had released, was still standing. 

" My Lord !" she cried indignantly, " who gave 
you permission to sit in my presence? What do 
you mean by such insolence?" 

" Madam," responded Ruthven coolly, " I am 
not insolent, but exhausted, for I have taken, in 
your husband's service, rather more exercise than 
my doctors would recommend." 

Then turning toward her lackey, he ordered a 
glass of wine, and showing his bloody dagger to 
Darnley, said as he drained the glass : " Here is 
the proof that I have earned it." 

" My Lord Ruthven," cried the Queen, taking 
a step toward him, " it may be that being a woman 



46 MARY STUART, 

I shall never find an opportunity to avenge this 
hour, but the child I bear, and whose life you 
should have respected, though you respect your 
Queen's so little, will one day make you pay dearly 
for these insults." Then with a menacing gesture 
she left the room by the private door, which she 
locked behind her. 

At this moment a great noise was heard upon 
the stairway, and Lords Huntley, Athole, and Both- 
well, followed by a number of armed men, sud- 
denly appeared upon the scene. These noblemen 
were at supper, when the sound of cries and the 
clash of weapons startled them, and thinking the 
Queen's life was in danger, they hastily collected 
their followers, and running to her assistance, 
forced the door, which Morton was guarding, and 
rushed to her private rooms. As soon as Darnley 
understood the reason of their unexpected appear- 
ance, he hastened to assure them that Mary's life 
was perfectly safe, saying : " What has been done 
here was by my orders and will be fully explained 
to-morrow." 

Then going to the head of the staircase where 
Rizzio's mangled body lay huddled in a corner, he 
seized it by the hair and lifted the head, while the 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. A7 

bastard Douglas held a torch to the face so that 
it might be recognized. " Look, gentlemen," he 
said, " and see if it was worth while to take so 
much trouble for such a worthless fellow," and 
recognizing the unpopular secretary, the three 
noblemen sheathed their swords, saluted Darnley, 
and withdrew. 

Mary Stuart closed the door upon that awful 
scene with but one desire in her heart — a burning 
desire for vengeance. But comprehending that she 
could not simultaneously wreak her wrath upon 
her husband and his accomplices, she brought into 
play all her charm of mind and person in order to 
win Darnley from his confederates. It was not a 
difficult task, for when the brutal rage which had 
driven him crazy subsided, he was horrified at the 
crime he had committed; and while his accom- 
plices, united at the seat of the Earl of Murray, 
were planning to give him the coveted crown, 
Darnley, as unstable as violent, as cowardly as 
cruel, signed a treaty with Mary by which he en- 
gaged to betray his associates, and three days after 
the murder the conspirators learned that the leader 
had fled with the Queen to Dunbar. 

From Dunbar a proclamation was issued, auda- 



48 MARY STUART, 

ciously denying that Darnley had any knowledge 
of the late bloody business and calling upon the 
nobles to join her Majesty; even the Earl of 
Murray and his companions in the " Runabout 
Raid" were invited to come back and fight under 
the Queen's banner, a full pardon and the return 
of her confidence being promised them. 

In this manner Mary succeeded in separating 
Murray's cause from that of Morton and the other 
assassins, and being joined by the Earl of Both- 
well, whom she appointed Warden of the Marches, 
she raised an army of eight thousand men. The 
conspirators, finding their heads in danger, fled to 
England, where, notwithstanding the ostensible 
friendship of Elizabeth, Mary Stuart's enemies 
were always welcome. 

Unfortunately for her good name, Mary, who 
was always more woman than sovereign, no sooner 
felt herself once more firmly seated on her throne 
than she caused the body of Rizzio, which had 
been hurriedly buried at the gate of the church 
nearest Holyrood, to be exhumed and interred in 
the royal sepulchre, thus compromising herself 
even more by the honors accorded the dead than 
by the favors bestowed upon the living. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 49 

This ill-advised demonstration of friendship for 
the dead secretary naturally gave rise to fresh 
quarrels between Mary and Darnley, which were 
the more acrimonious as their reconciliation, on 
her side at least, was but a pretence. Strong in 
her approaching motherhood, the Queen no longer 
dissembled her disdain for her husband, and finally, 
leaving him at Dunbar, she returned to her palace 
in Edinburgh, where on the 19th of June, 1566, 
she gave birth to the son who afterward became 
James VI. 
4 



PART SECOND. 

Immediately after the birth of her son, Mary 
sent for Sir James Melvil, her usual envoy to 
Elizabeth, and instructed him to carry the news 
of her happy delivery to England and to request 
Elizabeth to be the child's godmother. On his 
arrival in London, Melvil at once presented him- 
self at the palace, but a ball was in progress, and, 
unable to obtain an audience, he was obliged to 
confide the object of his journey to Elizabeth's 
minister, Sir William Cecil, and ask him to re- 
quest his mistress for an audience on the morrow. 

Elizabeth was dancing in a quadrille when Cecil 
approached her and said in a low tone : 

" Queen Mary of Scotland has given birth to a 
son." 

Elizabeth turned deathly pale, stared wildly 
about her, and seemed to faint. She first sup- 
ported herself against the back of a chair, but after 
a moment, too tremulous to stand, she sat down 
and gave way to painful reflections. 

50 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 51 

One of the ladies of the court elbowed her way 
through the circle which had formed around her 
Majesty and anxiously inquired the cause of her 
sudden indisposition. 

"Ah, madam," said Elizabeth impatiently, "I 
have good cause for illness. Mary Stuart has 
borne a fine son, while I am but a barren stock 
and shall die leaving no offspring." ' 

Elizabeth was too shrewd a diplomat, notwith- 
standing her proneness to yield to impulses, to 
compromise herself by making any further demon- 
stration of her annoyance, and, recovering her self- 
possession, she finished the interrupted quadrille 
and danced throughout the evening as though no 
painful thoughts distressed her. 

On the following day Melvil had his audience. 
Elizabeth received him most graciously, assuring 
him that she rejoiced with Scotland over the birth 
of an heir to the throne. Melvil responded that 
his mistress had hastened to make her cousin a 
sharer in her joy, knowing she had no better 
friend ; he added that Mary's happiness had nearly 
cost her life, her accouchement having been long 
and hazardous. As he dwelt upon Mary's suffer- 
ings, with the object of increasing the English 



S^ MAJ^V STUART. 

queen's aversion to marriage, Elizabeth became 
impatient and interrupted him brusquely, saying : 

" Enough, my Lord ! There is no need for in- 
sistence on that point. I shall never marry ; my 
kingdom is my husband and my subjects my chil- 
dren, and when I die I wish engraved on my 
tomb: *Here lies Elizabeth, who reigned so many 
years, and died a virgin.' " 

Melvil profited by the opportunity to recall to 
Elizabeth a desire she had expressed some years 
previous to see Mary, and urged her to be present 
in person at the young prince's baptism ; but she 
replied that affairs of state necessitated her being 
at home, and that, moreover, what she had heard 
of Mary's beauty disinclined her to expose herself 
to a disadvantageous comparison. The Duke of 
Bedford was therefore sent to Scotland as her 
proxy, and the royal infant was baptized with great 
pomp at Sterling, receiving the name of Charles 
James. 

Darnley did not appear at this ceremony, and 
James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, represented 
him, a proceeding which shocked the English 
queen's representative and gave rise to much 
gossip. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 53 

From the night of Rizzio's murder, when he 
had rushed to the Queen's assistance, Bothwell 
had made great headway in her favor and had 
openly espoused her party as opposed to that of 
Darnley and the Earl of Murray. 

Bothwell was at this time in his thirty-fifth 
year, the head of the powerful family of Hepburn, 
who were very influential in the eastern Lothians 
and the county of Berwick. In character he was 
ambitious, violent, and brutal; addicted to all 
forms of dissipation, he was capable of any villany 
for the gratification of his desire for preferment, 
a desire which he did not attempt to disguise ; in 
his youth he was accounted brave, but for many 
years he had had no serious occasion for the dis- 
play of courage. 

Darnley's authority, which had been weakened 
by Rizzio's influence, was entirely overthrown by 
Bothwell. The gentlemen of the court, following 
the favorite's example, no longer stood in his 
presence, but treated him like an equal ; his suite 
was diminished, his plate taken away, and the few 
officers who remained with him showed him little 
deference, while the Queen made no effort to con- 
ceal her aversion and openly shunned him. She 



54 MARY STUART, 

carried her avoidance of him to such a point that 
one day when she had gone with Bothwell to Al- 
way, she started back again immediately when 
Darnley joined them there. He kept his patience, 
however, until a fresh imprudence brought about 
the catastrophe which had been foreseen by many 
from the beginning of the intimacy. 

Toward the end of October, 1566, while the 
Queen was presiding over a court of justice at 
Jedburgh, word was brought that the Earl had 
been seriously wounded in the endeavor to seize a 
malefactor named John Elliot, and lay ill at a 
house of his called " The Hermitage." Mary was 
about to go to the council chamber, but imme- 
diately postponed the session until the next day and 
started on horseback for " The Hermitage," and, 
although it was twenty miles from Jedburgh and 
over a rough country, she covered the distance in 
a few hours. She remained closeted with the Earl 
for some time, and then rode back to Jedburgh 
with equal haste, arriving there in the middle of 
the night. 

This proceeding created a great scandal, which 
was augmented and envenomed by the Queen's 
enemies, among whom were the powerful leaders 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 55 

of the Reformed Church; Darnley, however, did 
not hear of it until nearly two months afterward, 
when Bothwell, completely restored to health, had 
returned with the Queen to Edinburgh. 

Determined that he would bear his humiliating 
position no longer, Darnley resolved to form a 
party for himself, and knowing that his treacher- 
ous desertion of his former allies had rendered him 
so unpopular that not a single Scottish noble 
would draw sword in his behalf, he decided to 
have recourse to his father, the Earl of Lennox, 
hoping by his aid to rally the malcontents, who 
had become very numerous since Bothwell' s rise 
to favor. With his usual indiscretion, Darnley 
confided his project to one of his officers, who 
straightway warned Bothwell of his master's inten- 
tions. 

Bothwell placed no obstacle in Darnley's way, 
and he set out on his journey without hindrance 
from any one ; but when only a few miles from 
Edinburgh he was seized with violent pains, ac- 
companied by high fever ; nevertheless he contin- 
ued his journey, and succeeded in reaching Glas- 
gow, though in an exhausted condition. He im- 
mediately summoned the celebrated physician, 



56 MARY STUART, 

James Abrenets, who, finding his body covered 
with pustules, unhesitatingly declared that he had 
been poisoned. There are those, however, among 
them Sir Walter Scott, who assert that his malady 
was nothing more nor less than small-pox. 

On being informed of her husband's illness, 
Mary sent her own physician to attend him, and 
shortly afterward, although warned that he was 
stricken with a pest, she buried her resentment, 
and, braving contagion, went herself to Glasgow. 

If the following letters, which Mary is accused 
of having written to Bothwell, are authentic, she 
knew the nature of his malady too well to fear 
contagion. As these letters are very interesting, 
and little known, we will transcribe them here 
and explain later how they came into the posses- 
sion of the allied nobles and from thence fell into 
the hands of Elizabeth, who exclaimed joyfully as 
she received them : 

" Now, by the grace of God, I hold her life and 
honor in my hands !" 

First Letter. 

" You cannot fancy what a state I was in when 
I quitted the place where I had left my heart — I 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 57 

was like a body without a soul. Throughout din- 
ner nobod}^ dared speak to me or come near me, 
for it was evident that I was in a desperately bad 
humor. When I was within a mile of the town I 
was met by one of the Earl of Lennox's gentlemen, 
who presented his master's compliments and his 
excuses for not coming in person to bid me welcome 
to, Glasgow ; among other things, he said that the 
Earl dared not present himself after the reprimand 
I had given him at Cunningham. This gentleman 
begged me — apparently of his own accord — to in- 
quire into his master's conduct and see if my sus- 
picions were well founded. I told him that fear 
was an incurable disease, that the Earl would not 
be so nervous if he had a clear conscience, and 
that if I had spoken harshly to him it was but a 
just retaliation for the letter he had written me. 

" Not an inhabitant of the place has called upon 
me, which leads me to think that they are all in 
Lennox's interests, and, moreover, I hear that all 
the townsfolk speak well of him and his son. 
Darnley sent for Joachim yesterday, and asked 
why I did not lodge with him, adding that my 
presence would help to cure him ; he also asked 
what my purpose was in coming here, and if it 



58 MARY STUART, 

was to effect a reconciliation ; whether you accom- 
panied me, if I had organized my household, 
whether I had taken Paris and Gilbert for secre- 
taries, and whether I was still determined to dis- 
miss Joseph. I do not know who his informant 
is, but there is nothing — even to Sebastian's mar- 
riage — that he does not know all about. I asked 
him to explain one of his letters, in which he com- 
plained bitterly of the cruelty of certain people, 
and he answered that his feelings had been griev- 
ously wounded, but that in the joy of my presence 
his pain was forgotten. He reproached me sev- 
eral times because I seemed distrait, and when I 
left him to go to supper he besought me to return, 
which I did, and he then related the history of his 
illness and accused me of being in a fashion to 
blame for it, saying that he had lost heart and 
strength because of my coldness, and so easily 
fell a victim to disease. 

" ' You ask me,' he said, 'who the people are 
of whom I complain.!* It is yourself, cruel one, 
whom I cannot appease by my tears or my repent- 
ance. I admit that I have insulted you, but not 
in the manner you reproach me with ; I have also 
insulted some of your subjects, but you forgave 



QUEEN OE SCOTS, 59 

me that. You claim that I continually relapse 
into the same faults ; but is there not hope that a 
young man like myself, utterly inexperienced, may 
give the lie to appearances, repent, and correct his 
errors with time? If you will pardon me but once 
more, I promise never to offend again. The only 
favor I ask is that we may live together once more 
as husband and wife, having one bed and one table 
— if you are inflexible, I shall never rise from this 
sick-bed. Tell me, I implore you, what you intend 
to do ; God alone knows how I suffer, and all be- 
cause I think of nothing but you, because I love 
and adore you, and you alone. If I have some- 
times offended you, the fault is really yours, 
for when I am offended I complain only to you, 
when I am able, and have no desire to confide my 
annoyance to others; but, when we are at odds 
with each other, I am forced to lock my sorrows in 
my own bosom, and it drives me mad.' 

" He urged me to remain with him and to lodge 
in the house, but I excused myself, telling him 
that he required purging, which could not conve- 
niently be done at Glasgow ; then he said that he 
knew that I had ordered a litter for him, but that 
he would rather travel with me. I believe he 



6o MAI^Y STUART, 

thought I intended sending him to prison ; how- 
ever, when I told him I would send him to Craig- 
miller, where he would find physicians to attend 
him, that I would remain near him, and that we 
should be within reach of our son, he seemed re- 
lieved, and answered that he would go in the lit- 
ter wherever I desired, if I would only promise 
what he asked; but the truth is he wants no one 
to see him. He has made me a hundred sweet 
speeches which would greatly surprise you, but 
which I have not time to repeat. I pretend to 
believe all he says, and to be sincerely attached to 
him. I have never seen him so gentle, so humble, 
and if I did not know how emotional he is and 
how readily he unbosoms himself, and if my heart 
were not impenetrable — save to the darts with 
which you pierced it — I might be moved by his 
pleading ; but do not be alarmed, for I would die 
rather than break the promise I made you. I en- 
treat you to be equally faithful, and not to be in- 
fluenced by the perfidious wretches who are doing 
their utmost to estrange us. I think all those 
people were cast in the same mould. Darnley is 
always ready to weep and to bow and scrape before 
everybody, from the highest to the lowest, in the 



QUEEN OE SCOTS. 6i 

hope of creating friends and sympathizers. I have 
not yet seen Lennox, who never leaves his house, 
but I hear that yesterday he had a hemorrhage. 
You can judge what those symptoms signify. 
Darnley insists that I shall feed him, otherwise 
he refuses to eat ; but whatever I do for him you 
must not doubt me. We two are bound to most 
hateful mates ;* may hell shatter our chains and 
heaven forge new ones which nothing can break, 
and make of us the tenderest, most faithful couple 
that ever existed. There is the profession of the 
faith in which I wish to die. Excuse this scrawl, 
of which you will be obliged to guess the half, but 
for which there is no remedy, as I am obliged to 
write hastily while every one else sleeps ; but I 
take untold pleasure in my vigil, for I cannot rest 
like the others, being unable to sleep as I would 
like in your arms. I have so much to tell you 
that I cannot resist the temptation of hastily fill- 
ing the bit of paper I have left. Cursed be the 
madman who torments me so! But for him I 
could entertain you more agreeably. He has not 

* Mary refers to Bothwell's wife, daughter of the Earl of 
Huntley, whom he repudiated after the death of Darnley in order 
to marry the Queen. 



62 MAJiV STUART, 

changed much; and yet he had a strong dose. 
His breath is so fetid that it sickens me ; it is far 
worse than your cousin's, but it affords me an ex- 
cellent excuse for holding aloof from him and 
enables me to sit at the foot of his bed. I am 
going to bed now and will finish my letter to-mor- 
row. I have still many things to tell you, but the 
night is too far advanced. Imagine my suffering. 
I am writing to you about myself, and yet I must 
stop. 

" Let me see if I have overlooked anything. 

" Lennox's messenger to me on the road. 

" Darnley's examination of Joachim. 

" The interview between him and myself. 

" His desire to be agreeable to me and his 
repentance. 

" The interpretation of his letter. 

" Livingston. 

" Ah ! I had almost forgotten that. Last night 
at the supper-table at Madam de Reres', Living- 
ston said to me in an undertone that he drank to 
the health of a friend of mine, and begged me to 
join in the toast ; after supper, as I was leaning 
on his shoulder near the fire, he said to me: 
* Doubtless this visit is very agreeable to the one 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 63 

who receives it, but no matter how delighted he 
may seem at your coming, I defy his pleasure to 
equal the grief of him you have left behind, who 
will not know a moment's happiness until he sees 
you again.' I asked to whom he referred, and he 
replied, pressing my arm, 'To one of those who 
did not accompany you — you can easily guess 
whom.' I have completed the bracelet and have 
attached to it a little key fastened by two cords ; 
it is not as well done as I should like, but I will 
some day make you a prettier one. Be cautious 
about wearing it, for I have worked on it before 
every one and it will surely be recognized. I keep 
thinking, * against my will, of the horrible crime 
you urged upon me. You force me into dissimu- 
lation, treacheries, and crimes which I abhor; be- 
lieve me I would rather die than commit such ac- 
tions; the very thought makes me shudder, and 
the desire for vengeance shall never carry me so 
far. Darnley now refuses to follow me unless I 
promise to share my bed and table with him, and 
not to abandon him so frequently ; if I agree, he 
says he will follow me to the ends of the world ; 
nevertheless, he has entreated me to postpone my 
departure for two days. I pretended to consent to 



64 MARY STUART. 

his demands, but requested him to keep our recon- 
ciliation a secret, as it might give umbrage to 
some of the nobles. At last I am able to lead him 
where I like. Alas ! I never before deceived any 
one, but what would I not do to please you } Com- 
mand, and, come what may, I will obey ; but see if 
you cannot devise some secret means of doing it 
in the guise of a remedy. He is to stop at Craig- 
miller to be purged and take the waters, and he 
will be confined within doors for several days. I 
am with him as much as possible, but he is very 
nervous, and although he appears to have confi- 
dence in all I say, his faith does not carry him to 
the point of confiding in me; and I believe he 
fears that his life is in danger. He touches me 
on a sensitive spot sometimes by saying that all 
his crimes are known, but that others, just as 
great, are daily committed, and though carefully 
hidden must eventually come to the knowledge of 
men. He adds sometimes that he hopes that 
Madam de R^res' accommodations are satisfactory, 
and has informed me that many people think, as 
he once did, that I am not my own mistress. It 
is certain that he is very uneasy on the subject 
you know of, and that he suspects that there are 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 65 

designs upon his life ; he is in despair whenever 
the conversation touches upon you, Lethington, or 
my brother ; nevertheless he speaks neither good 
nor ill of the absent, but shuns mentioning them 
at all. The Hamiltons are here in force and ac- 
company me everywhere ; all his friends follow me 
whenever I visit the house. Burn this letter, for 
it would be dangerous to keep it, and indeed it is 
not worth while, for it is filled with dark thoughts. 
Do not be offended because I am sad and nervous, 
for to please you I am trampling upon honor and 
braving remorse and danger. Do not take what I 
say in bad part, I pray you, and pay no attention 
to the malicious stories told by your wife's brother, 
for he is a villain, and you must not permit him to 
prejudice you against the most devoted and faith- 
ful of mistresses. Above all, do not allow that 
woman's tears to shake your resolution, for her 
sham grief is as nothing in comparison with the 
bitter drops I shed and the suffering I endure in 
order to succeed her; it is to that end, and for 
that alone, that against my better nature I deceive 
and betray all those who might thwart my love. 
May God have mercy upon me and send you all 
the prosperity that your humble and loving friend 
5 



66 MARY STUART, 

wishes you. It is very late, yet I lay down my 
pen with regret. Forgive this ill-written letter — 
possibly I wrote badly purposely that you might 
be forced to read it several times. Remember a 
loving friend and write often to her. Love me as 
fondly as I do you and remember : 

" Madam de Reres' words. 

" The Englishman. 

" The Duke of Argyle. 

" The Earl of Bothwell. 

"The house at Edinburgh." 

Second Letter. 

" You seem to have forgotten me, yet when we 
parted you vowed to keep me minutely informed 
of all that happened. I have lived on the hope of 
a letter, and you have kept me waiting much longer 
than you promised. Although you are unfaithful 
to your agreement, I continue to play my role. I 
shall take him to Craigmiller on Monday, and he 
will remain there over Wednesday, on which day I 
shall go to Edinburgh to be bled, unless you order 
differently. He is in better spirits than usual and 
vastly better in health ; he does his utmost to per- 
suade me that he loves me, and anticipates all my 



QUEEN OE SCOTS. 67 

wishes, all of which is so agreeable to me that I 
never enter his room that the pain in my side does 
not attack me.* His company is insupportable. 
If Paris brings that which I asked for, I shall soon 
be cured. If you have not returned when I go to 
the place you know of, I beg you to write and tell 
me precisely what I am to do ; for, unless you con- 
duct affairs discreetly, I foresee that the whole 
burden will fall upon me. Consider the matter 
from every standpoint, and mature your plans with 
prudence. I am sending my letter by Beaton, 
who will leave here on the day on which Balfour 
was to have gone. I have nothing further to say, 
and it only remains for me to beg you to inform 
me regarding your movements." 

Third Letter. 

Glasgow, Saturday Morning. 

" I remained at the place you know of longer than 
I should have done had I not wished to draw from 
him something with which the bearer of this will 
acquaint you ; it affords an excellent opportunity 
for the concealment of our designs. I have prom- 
ised to take the person you know of to see him to- 
morrow. You must take care of the rest if you 



68 MARY STUART, 

approve of the plan. Alas ! I have violated our 
covenant, for you forbade me to write to you or to 
send a courier. I did not intend to offend, and if 
you realized what cruel fears disturbed my soul, you 
would not be so distrustful and suspicious ; how- 
ever, I accept it all in good part, knowing it arises 
from the love which I value more than anything 
in the world. My sentiments and sacrifices are 
the guarantee of that affection and answer to me 
for your heart, but I wish you would be more open 
with me. Explain yourself, I pray; open your 
heart to me, otherwise I shall fear that I have 
been supplanted in your affections as Medea was 
in Jason's. Not that I mean to compare you with 
such an unfortunate lover, or myself to such a 
monster, although your influence is powerful 
enough to force me to imitate her whenever our 
love demands it or it becomes a question of keep- 
ing your heart, which belongs solely to me ; for I 
call that mine which I have bought by tender and 
constant love and by risks which may yet have 
terrible consequences. As a price of my sacri- 
fices I ask but one favor, and that is that you will 
remember a place which is not far from here ; I do 
not demand that you keep your promise to-mor- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 69 

row, but I do desire to see you that I may make 
an end of your suspicion. I ask but one thing of 
God : that he will enable you to read my heart and 
preserve you from all ill, at least during my life, 
which is dear to me only because it gives you 
pleasure. Farewell, I am going to bed; let me 
hear from you to-morrow morning, for I shall be 
anxious until I do. Like a bird escaped from its 
cage, or a turtle-dove who has lost her mate, I 
mourn your absence, however brief it is. This 
letter, happier than I, will go to-night where I 
fain would be. Pardon my scrawling ; I dared not 
write before Joseph, Sebastian, and Joachim, and 
had to wait their withdrawal before I began." 

As may be seen from these letters, assuming 
that they are authentic, Mary Stuart entertained 
for Both well one of those insensate passions which 
seemed the stronger when, as in her case, they are 
inexplicable. Bothwell was no longer young nor 
handsome, yet for his sake she sacrificed a young 
husband, who was considered one of the hand- 
somest men of his time. 

Thus, Darnley, who was the sole obstacle to 
their union, had long since been condemned by the 



^0 MARY STUART, 

Earl, if not by Mary, and as his splendid constitu- 
tion had triumphed over poison, they sought some 
other means of killing him. 

According to the intentions announced in her 
letter, the Queen left her husband at Craigmiller 
and returned alone to Edinburgh ; a few days later 
she gave orders that he should be brought there in 
a litter, but instead of lodging him at Holyrood 
she arranged for him to go to a lone house outside 
the city called "The Kirk of Field," giving as her 
reason that as he was recovering from a virulent 
disease it was not prudent to take him to the pal- 
ace and expose the infant prince to contagion. 

The location of the house assigned as his lodg- 
ing was not calculated to dissipate Darnley's fears ; 
it was situated between a ruined church and a neg- 
lected cemetery ; the only house in the neighbor- 
hood belonged to the Hamiltons, who were his 
mortal enemies, and not far distant was a cluster 
of miserable huts called " the Thieves' Crossroads." 
On making the circuit of his new domain, Darnley 
discovered [that two holes, each large enough to 
permit the passage of a man, had been made in 
the garden walls; he requested that these aper- 
tures, through which marauders and vagabonds 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 7 1 

could easily approach the house, should be stopped 
up, and was assured that masons would be sent to 
repair the breaches ; but several days passed and 
the holes remained opened and unobstructed. 

The night after his installation at the " Kirk of 
Fields," Darnley was surprised to see a light in 
the Hamiltons' house, which he supposed to be 
unoccupied. He made inquiries of Alexander 
Durham, his valet, as to the meaning of it, and 
was still further surprised and not a little dismayed 
when he learned that the Archbishop of St. An- 
drews had recently left his palace in the town and 
come to live in the old house. This intelligence 
greatly increased his disquietude, for the Arch- 
bishop was one of his bitterest enemies. 

Darnley, deserted by all his servants save Alex- 
ander Durham, lived in a suite of rooms on the 
second floor in the " Kirk of Fields," and, as he 
was extremely nervous and in continual dread of 
some attempt on his life, he made this man, to 
whom he was particularly attached, sleep in the 
same room with him. 

During the night of February 8th, Darnley 
roused his servant and told him that he thought 
he heard some one walking in the rooms below, 



72 MAJ?Y STUART. 

Durham rose, and, taking a candle in one hand and 
a sword in the other, descended to the ground 
floor. He soon returned, however, saying that 
there was nobody about, and his master, though 
positive that he had not been mistaken, was obliged 
to accept his word. 

The following morning passed without inci- 
dent ; the Queen was marrying one of her favorite 
servants, an Auvergnat named Sebastian, whom 
she had brought from France and to whom she 
was sincerely attached; but toward evening she 
left the wedding and went to " Kirk of Fields" to 
visit her husband, accompanied by the Countess of 
Argyle and the Countess of Huntly. During the 
Queen's visit, Durham, while making his bed ready 
for the night, managed in some way to set fire to 
the mattress and bedding, but, fearing the flames 
ivould communicate to the other furniture, he 
threw the burning articles out of the window, and, 
thus left without a bed to lie on, asked permis- 
sion to go to the city to sleep. 

Surprised at the fellow's carelessness and at the 
promptitude with which he had thrown the bed- 
ding out of doors, and remembering the fright of 
the previous night, Darnley refused to let him go, 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 73 

but offered him one of his mattresses to lie on, or 
even to share his bed with him. Durham, how- 
ever, persisted in his request, saying that he felt 
ill and would be very glad to consult a doctor that 
evening, whereupon the Queen interceded for him, 
promising Darnley that another servant should be 
sent to pass the night with him. Having thus ob- 
tained leave of absence, Durham promptly departed, 
and just then Paris, of whom the Queen spoke in 
her letters, entered ; he was a young Frenchman 
who had been some years in Scotland and in the 
service of both Bothwell and Seaton before he en- 
tered the Queen's ; upon seeing him, Mary rose to 
go, and, on Darnley' s entreating her to remain 
longer, she said : 

" Really, my lord, it is impossible, for I 
promised my faithful Sebastian that I would be 
present masked at his ball, and it is high time I 
started." 

Darnley dared not urge her further, so he merely 
reminded her of her promise to send a servant to 
pass the night with him, which promise Mary reit- 
erated as she took her departure. 

It was then nine o'clock in the evening ; Darn- 
ley, left quite alone, carefully fastened all his 



74 MAEY STUART. 

doors, partially undressed, and, wrapping a dress- 
ing-gown round him, lay down to wait for the ser- 
vant whom the Queen was to send. He was be- 
coming drowsy when he heard the same noise 
which had startled him the previous night, and, 
listening with the strained intentness of fear, he 
was soon convinced that several persons were mov- 
ing about in the rooms below. To cry out was 
useless, to leave his apartments dangerous, and all 
that he could do was to assure himself that his 
doors were securely fastened, extinguish the light, 
lest it might betray him, and await quietly, with 
his sword by his side, for the coming of the prom- 
ised attendant; but the hours rolled slowly by 
and no servant appeared. 

At one o'clock in the morning, after a long 
interview with the Queen in the presence of the 
captain of the guard, Bothwell retired from the en- 
tertainment given in celebration of Sebastian's 
marriage, went to his lodgings, changed his dress, 
and shortly afterward might have been seen, 
wrapped in the long cloak of a German hussar, 
hurrying in the direction of the " Kirk of Fields." 
On reaching the lonely dwelling, he entered the 
garden by one of the holes in the wall and was im- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 75 

mediately accosted by James Balfour, governor of 
the castle. 

" Well," inquired the Earl, " how go the prepa- 
rations ?" 

"Everything is ready," Balfour replied, "and 
we only waited your coming to light the train." 

" That is well," rejoined Bothwell, " but I must 
first make sure that he is in his room." 

Opening the house-door by means of a false key, 
he groped his way up the stairs and crept to Darn- 
ley's door. The unfortunate gentleman, hearing 
no further noise, had fallen asleep, but his irregu- 
lar breathing and restless movements showed how 
troubled his slumber was. It mattered little to 
Bothwell, however, whether his victim slept well 
or not, so long as he was in his room, and, creeping 
cautiously down the stairs, he rejoined Balfour; 
then, taking a lantern from one of the conspira- 
tors, he descended to the cellar to assure himself 
if everything was properly arranged. The cellar 
was filled with barrels of gunpowder, and a train 
had been laid which only required a spark to set 
to work the engine of destruction ; convinced that 
all was in readiness, the Earl, accompanied by Bal- 
four, Chambers, and three or four others, retired 



76 MAJ^V STUART, 

to the farther end of the garden, leaving a subor- 
dinate to light the fuse. After an instant this man 
joined them, and then followed a few moments of 
death - like stillness and intense anxiety, during 
which the accomplices looked at each other in si- 
lence, as if horrified at themselves ; then, as there 
was no explosion, Bothwell turned impatiently on 
the man who had fired the train and accused him 
of having imperfectly performed his service. The 
man protested that he had done his work well, and, 
on BothwelFs starting to see for himself, offered 
to return and discover if the train had been extin- 
guished; he accordingly crossed the garden and, 
thrusting his head between the bars of a sort of 
ventilator giving into the cellar, saw that the flame 
was fast creeping toward the deadly barrels ; turn- 
ing he rushed back to his master, and had barely 
gained a place of safety when a terrific detonation 
was heard, the "Kirk of Fields" was blown to 
atoms, the city and surrounding country appeared 
for a moment illuminated by a fierce glare, then 
all was darkness; and the appalling silence was 
broken only by the crash of beams and stones, 
which fell like hail. 

Darnley's body was found next day lying under 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 77 

a tree at some distance; he had been protected 
from the fire by the mattresses upon which he lay, 
and, being wrapped in the dressing-gown in which 
he had thrown himself upon his bed, many people 
thought that he had been strangled and carried 
there, but it is more likely that his murderers had 
relied solely upon the powder, which was a power- 
ful auxiliary and one not apt to fail them. 

None save her Creator and Bothwell ever knew 
whether Mary was a party to Darnley's murder or 
not, but, innocent or guilty, her imprudent conduct 
lent a semblance of verity to the accusations of 
her enemies. As soon as she was informed of the 
catastrophe and that her husband's body had been 
recovered, she ordered the corpse brought before 
her and had it laid upon a bench, where she ex- 
amined it for some minutes with more curiosity 
than grief. It was afterward embalmed and in- 
terred that same night, without ceremony, beside 
the body of Rizzio. 

Scottish etiquette ordained that a royal widow 
should remain for forty days in a darkened room ; 
but on the twelfth Mary ordered her windows to 
be thrown open and on the fifteenth she departed 
with Bothwell, for Leyton, a country house about 



78 MARY STUART, 

two miles distant from Edinburgh. Ducroe, the 
French ambassador, sought her there and induced 
her to return to the capital ; but instead of the ac- 
clamations which ordinarily greeted her when she 
passed through the streets, she was received with 
ominous silence, and one woman in the crowd 
cried out : 

" May God reward her according to her deeds !" 

The identity of the murderers was no secret to 
the people, and on Bothwell's sending a magnifi- 
cent suit to his tailor with instructions to alter it 
according to his measures, the man, recognizing it 
as a costume which had belonged to Darnley, 
coolly remarked : 

"That's fair; it's customary for the executioner 
to inherit the culprit's clothes!" 

The Earl of Lennox, supported by public opin- 
ion, clamored for justice on his son's murderers, 
and the Queen was forced, in order to appease pa- 
ternal resentment and popular indignation, to order 
the Earl of Argyle, Chief Justice of Scotland, to 
inquire into the matter and to issue a proclamation 
offering a reward of two thousand pounds to who- 
soever should give information concerning her 
husband's murderers. The following day placards 



QUEEN OE SCOTS, 79 

were found posted in public places denouncing 
Bothwell as the murderer and the Queen as his 
accomplice; they were promptly torn down, but 
not speedily enough to prevent their being read by 
thousands. 

The Earl of Lennox accused Bothwell, and the 
voice of the public seconded him with such vehe- 
mence that Mary was constrained to order him 
tried ; but every precaution was taken to prevent 
his conviction. On the 28th of March, Lennox 
was advised that the trial was set for the 12th of 
April ; this gave him but two short weeks in which 
to collect incontrovertible evidence against the 
most powerful man in the kingdom, and, realizing 
the futility of such an attempt, and that the trial 
was but a mockery of justice, he did not appear. 
Bothwell, on the contrary, went to court accom- 
panied by five thousand of his partisans and two 
hundred fusileers, who, as soon as the Earl had en- 
tered the court-room, mounted guard at the doors of 
the Hall of Justice, so that Bothwell appeared like 
a king about to violate the law rather than an ac- 
cused person prepared to submit to its execution. 
As the Earl of Lennox did not appear to uphold 
his accusation, and no proofs of Bothwell's com- 



8o MAI^V STUART, 

plicity in Darnley's death were adduced, the jury 
acquitted him, although everybody, including his 
judges, knew him to be guilty, and the same day 
he caused the following cartel to be posted : 

"Although I am sufficiently exonerated from 
complicity in the murder of the King, of which I 
have been falsely accused, nevertheless, the better 
to maintain my innocence, I am willing to do bat- 
tle against any one who dares assert that I am 
guilty of the said charge." 

The next morning a placard saying : 

" I accept the challenge, providing that you se- 
lect neutral grounds for the combat," was found 
posted opposite the Earl's declaration. 

The excitement attendant on the murder and 
trial had scarcely died away before rumors of a 
marriage between the Queen and Bothwell got 
abroad, and as their relations were thoroughly 
understood nobody doubted the truth of the report ; 
but, insensate as such a step was, only two men 
dared protest against it. They were Lord Herris 
and James Melvil. 

Mary was at Stirling when Lord Herris, profit- 
ing by BothwelFs temporary absence, threw him- 
self at her feet and besought her not to risk her 



QUEEN OP SCOTS, Si 

honor by wedding a man accused of her husband's 
murder, as such a course would inevitably con« 
vince those of her subjects who still doubted that 
she was his accomplice. But the Queen, instead 
of thanking Herris for his devotion, appeared 
amazed at his audacity, and, disdainfully motion- 
ing him to rise, answered haughtily that her heart 
was not Bothwell's, and that should she contem- 
plate marrying for a third time, which was not 
likely, she would forget neither what was due her 
people nor herself. 

Undaunted by this procedure, Melvil showed 
the Queen a letter which he pretended to have 
received from a friend in England, one Thomas 
Bishop ; but after reading a few sentences Mary 
recognized her ambassador's style and divined his 
intention, and, handing the letter to the Earl of 
Lethington, who was present, she remarked : 

" Here is a most remarkable letter ! Read it 
and see if you do not agree with me that it is a 
little subterfuge of Melvil's." 

Lethington glanced over the letter, and then, 

hastily drawing Melvil into the embrasure of a 

window, he exclaimed : 

"My dear Melvil, were you mad that you 
6 



82 MARY STUART, 

showed such a letter as this to her Majesty? Do 
you not know that the moment Bothwell hears of 
it — and that will be soon — he will have you assas- 
sinated ? You have acted like an honest man and 
a disinterested friend, but at court diplomacy pays 
better than honesty or friendship, and I advise 
you to leave here as promptly as possible and to 
keep out of his sight until the storm blows over." 

Recognizing the wisdom of such a course, Mel- 
vil immediately left Stirling, and it was well he 
did, for on Bothwell' s return the Queen informed 
him of all that had occurred, and, furious at Lord 
Melvil, Bothwell searched for him everywhere, 
swearing he should pay dearly for his temerity. 

These symptoms of opposition to his plan, 
slight though they were, alarmed Bothwell, and, 
sure of the Queen's affection, he determined to 
bring matters to a crisis, and a few days later, as 
Mary was returning to Edinburgh from Stirling, 
he suddenly appeared upon the road at the Bridge 
of Cramond at the head of a large body of men, 
and having disarmed Huntly, Lethington, and 
Melvil, who had returned to his mistress' side, he 
seized the Queen's horse by the bridle, and with 
a show of violence obliged her to retrace her steps 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 83 

and follow him to Dunbar. The following day, 
Huntly, Lethington, Melvil, and their retainers 
were set at liberty, and ten days later the Queen 
and Bothwell entered Edinburgh together, appar- 
ently the best of friends. 

On the second day after their return to the cap- 
ital, Bothwell gave a grand dinner to his adher- 
ents among the nobility, and after the repast, on 
the same table upon which it had been served, 
amid overturned bottles and half- emptied glasses, 
Lindsay, Ruthven, Morton, Maitland, and fifteen 
other nobles signed a document, stating that they 
firmly believed Bothwell innocent of the crime at- 
tributed to him and considered him the most suit- 
able husband for the Queen. This strange instru- 
ment closed with these remarkable words : 

** In our opinion her Majesty cannot do other- 
wise than wed the Earl of Bothwell, since he has 
by force carried her to his castle and obliged her 
to share his bed." 

There were still two obstacles in the way of 
this marriage : first, the Earl had been thrice wed 
and all of his wives were living; secondly, his 
simulated abduction of the Queen might invali- 
date their alliance. The first obstacle was the 



84 MAHY STUART, 

most difficult to overcome, and to that the Earl 
next directed his attention. As his first two 
wives were of humble origin, he did not trouble 
about them, but the third was the daughter of 
that Earl of Huntly who had been trampled to 
death by her Majesty's cavalry, and sister of John 
Gordon, who had been decapitated for his revolt 
against her, and she was a woman of too much 
importance to be lightly pushed aside. Happily 
for Bothwell, his conduct had been such that the 
Countess was most anxious to regain her freedom, 
and his friends had little difficulty in persuading 
her to bring a suit for divorce upon statutory 
grounds. The Earl promptly confessed that he 
had been criminally intimate with a relation of his 
wife, and the Archbishop of St. Andrews, the 
prelate who had gone and lodged in the deserted 
house near " Kirk of Fields," in order to aid in 
murdering Darnley, dissolved the marriage — the 
suit being brought, tried, and judged within ten 
days. 

The second obstacle, concerning the force put 
upon the Queen, Mary undertook to remove her- 
self, and, going before the tribunal, she declared 
that she not only pardoned Bothwell, but that, 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 85 

knowing him to be a good and loyal subject, she 
contemplated conferring fresh honors upon him. 
In accordance with that intention, she shortly af- 
terward created him Duke of Orkney, and barely 
four months after Darnley's awful death Mary 
espoused his slayer. 

The wedding was gloomy, as befitted a cere- 
mony performed under such sanguinary auspices. 
Morton, Maitland, and some of Both well's syco- 
phants were the only guests; even the French 
ambassador, who was a creature of the House of 
Guise, to which family Mary belonged, declined to 
be present. 

The honeymoon was brief, for Mary was soon 
disillusioned and learned that she had made a sec- 
ond and awful mistake ; that instead of gaining a 
tender husband and wise friend she had engaged 
herself to a tyrannical master. Coarse, brutal, 
and violent, Bothwell seemed chosen by Provi- 
dence to punish Mary for the sins which he had 
instigated and in which she participated. His 
temper soon became so unbearable that they quar- 
relled continually, and the Queen frequently 
threatened to end her life. Upon one occasion 
she snatched a dagger from Lord Erskine, who 



Z6 MARY STUART, 

with Melvil was present at one of their scenes, 
and attempted to stab herself, crying that death 
was preferable to the life she led ; yet such was 
her infatuation that, forgetful of her dignity as a 
sovereign, she was always the first to seek a recon- 
ciliation. 

These recurrent and scandalous scenes afforded 
a band of Scotch nobles a pretext for rebelling 
against the Queen and her husband, and the Earl 
of Mar, guardian of the infant Prince, Argyle, 
Athol, Glencairn, Lindsay, Boyd, and even Mor- 
ton and Maitland, Both well's former partisans, 
took up arms for the avowed purpose of avenging 
Darnley, and rescuing his son from the hands of 
the man who had killed his father and was keep- 
ing his mother in captivity. 

Their uprising was so secretly planned, and so 
promptly executed, that they very nearly succeeded 
in taking 'Mary and Bothwell prisoners at the out- 
set. The Queen and Earl were being entertained 
by Lord Borthwick, and were at table, when they 
were informed that a body of armed men had sur- 
rounded the house. Mistrusting that it was they 
whom the intruders sought, and having no means 
of resistance, Bothwell hastily donned the clothes 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 8/ 

of an equerry and Mary those of a page, and tak- 
ing horse they managed to escape by a secret en- 
trance, just as the confederates forced their way 
into the house. 

Foiled in their first attempt, the confederate no- 
bles marched to Edinburgh, where they had a 
powerful friend in James Balfour, governor of the 
castle — the man who had constructed the mine at 
" Kirk of Fields," and upon whose fidelity Both- 
well counted. This man not only surrendered 
Edinburgh Castle to the confederates, but deliv- 
ered into their hands a little silver casket, en- 
graved with the letter F, surmounted by a crown, 
which he claimed contained letters and papers 
which would be most valuable to them. 

This casket, which had been given to Mary by 
her first husband, Francois II., contained the let- 
ters which have already been quoted, and twelve 
poems written by the Queen, all of which, as Bal- 
four claimed, were mighty weapons in the hands 
of her enemies, and worth more than a victory, for 
the success of their arms could only give them 
control of her person, whereas his treachery had 
delivered her honor into their hands. 

The fugitives had taken refuge at Dunbar, and 



88 MARY STUART, 

during this time Bothwell rallied his friends and 
raised an army which he believed strong enough 
to defeat his adversaries, and, without waiting to 
be reinforced by the Hamiltons, who were assem- 
bling their vassals, he took the field, and on the 
eve of the 15th of June, 1567, the opposing forces 
met. The Queen, wishing to avoid bloodshed, 
dispatched the French ambassador to the confeder- 
ates' camp to exhort them to lay down their arms ; 
but the nobles responded that " Her Majesty was 
mistaken in thinking that they were rebels ; that 
it was not against her, but against Bothwell, that 
they were in arms." The Earl's friends then did 
all they could to break off negotiations and pre- 
cipitate a battle, but the soldiers had learned that 
they were enlisted in the cause of one man, and 
to fight, not for the safety and honor of their 
Queen and Scotland, but for a woman's caprice, 
and they boldly announced that, as it was against 
Bothwell alone that their countrymen were ar- 
rayed, the Earl might defend his own cause. 

Vain and boastful as ever, Bothwell sent a 
knight to announce that he was ready to uphold 
his honor and innocence against whomsoever dis- 
puted it. Every noble in the confederate camp 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 89 

declared his willingness to accept the challenge, 
but Kirkaldy of Grange, Lord Murray of Tul- 
libardine, and Lord Lindsay of Byres were chosen 
to represent them, and each in turn defied him. 
But, whether from cowardice or because at the 
crucial moment he doubted the justice of his 
cause, Bothwell sought to evade a combat by such 
strange pretexts that Mary herself was ashamed of 
him, and his most devoted adherents murmured. 

Perceiving the discontented spirits of their fol- 
lowers, Mary determined not to risk a battle, and 
sent a herald to Kirkaldy of Grange, who com- 
manded an outpost, inviting him to confer with 
her. As Kirkaldy came forward to meet the 
Queen, Bothwell, furious at his own cowardice, 
suddenly commanded a soldier to fire on him ; but 
Mary herself interposed and threatened with in- 
stant death any one who offered violence or insult 
to the advancing envoy. The report of Both- 
well's rash order spread broadcast through the 
army, and the murmurs of discontent were so 
threatening that he realized that his cause was 
lost. The Queen was evidently of the same 
opinion, for the result of her conference with 
Lord Kirkaldy was an agreement on her part to 



90 MA^y STUART, 

abandon Bothwell and join the confederates, on 
condition that they laid down their arms and es- 
corted her to Edinburgh as their sovereign. 

The envoy promised to lay her proposition be- 
fore the confederate nobles, and to return the fol- 
lowing day with their response ; but he had not 
reached their lines before Mary, realizing that 
she must part from the man for whom she had 
risked and sacrificed so much, was seized with 
such a fit of weakness that she declared herself 
ready to break off the negotiations. Bothwell, 
however, knowing that his life was not safe in 
camp, insisted that she should not retract, and, 
leaving the wretched woman in tears, he mounted 
a horse and departed at full speed for Dunbar. 

On the following morning, at the appointed 
hour, the trumpeters announced Lord Kirkaldy's 
return, and Mary immediately mounted and rode 
out to meet him. As he dismounted to salute 
her, she said : 

" My Lord, I place myself in your hands upon 
the conditions proposed yesterday and since ac- 
cepted by the nobles, and here is my hand in 
token of good faith." 

Kirkaldy respectfully bent the knee before her 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 91 

and kissed her hand ; then, taking her horse by 
the bridle, he escorted her to the confederate 
camp. 

She was received with every mark of respect 
and deference by the nobility and gentry who had 
assembled to welcome her, but the common sol- 
diers were not so courteous, and as she passed 
through their ranks they muttered disparaging re- 
marks, and several cried openly : 

"To the stake with the adulteress! To the 
block with the murderess !" 

Mary bore these insults stoically, but a worse 
trial was in store for her. Suddenly a banner was 
unfurled, upon one side of which Darnley was rep- 
resented lying in the fatal garden, and upon the 
other the young Prince was depicted kneeling with 
clasped hands and uplifted eyes. Underneath 
was the device : " O God, judge and avenge my 
cause !" 

At this sight the Queen promptly turned her 
horse, determined to retrace her steps, but she had 
gone but a few yards when the accusing banner 
again loomed up before her in the midst of such a 
mass of soldiers that her passage was completely 
barred. Whichever way the tormented woman 



92 MARY STUART. 

turned she beheld the hideous emblem, and at 
last, unable to endure the outrage, she gave a 
heartbroken cry, and, reeling in her saddle, would 
have fallen unconscious to the ground, had not 
Lord Kirkaldy supported her. 

That evening she entered Edinburgh, still pre- 
ceded by that cruel banner, and having already 
the appearance of a prisoner rather than a queen. 
She had been in the saddle since early morning, 
without a moment in which to rearrange her 
toilet. Her dishevelled hair hung upon her 
shoulders, her face was ghastly pale, her eyes red 
and swollen from weeping, and her garments cov- 
ered with dust and mud. As she advanced, the 
people hooted and cried after her with terrific 
vehemence. At last, half dead with fatigue, 
weighed down with sorrow and bent with shame, 
she reached the dwelling of the Lord Provost; 
but even after the doors had closed behind her, 
the mob swarmed round the house, howling and 
shrieking out maledictions. Mary made several 
attempts to appear at the window, hoping that her 
beauty, which had so often impressed the people, 
might yet sway them and soften their hearts ; but 
each time that she approached the window she 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 93 

beheld the hateful banner waving between her and 
her subjects — an appalling expression of popular 
sentiment which she had not the courage to face. 

This manifestation of hatred was, however, di- 
rected against Bothwell rather than the Queen. 
It was he whom they persecuted in Darnley's 
widow. Bothwell was the adulterer, the murderer, 
and the coward whom they abhorred, while Mary 
was but a feeble, infatuated woman, whose faults 
they despised, whose weakness they deplored. 

Advancing night dispelled the crowd, and as 
quiet settled over the city Mary's agitation sub- 
sided, and her thoughts turned toward the man she 
had perforce abandoned, and who was at that 
moment a proscribed fugitive, while she — she 
thought — was about to resume her position of 
power and honor. With a woman's eternal confi- 
dence in a love which she measures by her own 
devotion, Mary believed that Bothwell' s greatest 
grief was not for the loss of wealth and power, but 
over his separation from her ; and she set to work 
to console him, writing a long letter, in which, 
forgetful of her own trials, she promised, with 
words of tenderest affection, never to abandon him 
and to summon him to her side at the earliest pos- 



94 MAJ^Y STUART, 

sible moment. When the letter was finished she 
called a soldier, and, giving him a purse full of 
gold, charged him to carry the letter to Dunbar, 
where the Earl should be, and if he was no longer 
there to follow until he joined him and could de- 
liver it. 

This done, she retired and slept peacefully, 
for, unhappy though she was, she believed 
that she had mitigated suffering greater than her 
own. 

Mary was awakened the next morning by the 
step of an armed man in her chamber. Amazed 
and alarmed by this disregard of decorum, which 
was indicative of some fresh trouble, she sat up 
in bed, and, drawing aside the curtains, perceived 
Lord Lindsay standing before her. Knowing him 
to be one of her bitterest enemies, she asked, in a 
voice which she vainly strove to steady, what he 
wished at such an hour. 

" Do you recognize this writing, madam .?" de- 
manded Lindsay brusquely, holding out for her 
inspection the letter she had addressed to Both- 
well a few hours before. 

"I do, my lord," answered the Queen; "but 
am I a prisoner that my correspondence is inter- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 95 

cepted, or is it no longer permissible for a wife to 
write to her husband?" 

" When the husband is a traitor, madam," Lind- 
say replied, " it is not permissible for her to write 
to him unless she sympathizes with his perfidy, 
which, in my opinion, your promise to recall the 
scoundrel proves that you do." 

"My lord," cried Mary, interrupting him, "you 
forget that you address your Queen !" 

" There was a time, madam," retorted Lindsay, 
" when I should have bent the knee and addressed 
you more humbly, though it consorts ill with our 
old Scotch character to take pattern by your 
French courtiers; but, thanks to your fickle 
amours, you have kept us so much in the field 
with our armor on our backs, that our voices 
are roughened by the night air and our stiffened 
knees refuse to bend. You must therefore accept 
me as I am, madam, now that for the honor of 
Scotland you are no longer free to choose your 
favorites." 

The Queen grew pale with anger at this blunt 
speech, but, controlling her indignation, she said 
calmly : " But, my lord, however well-disposed I 
may be to take you as you are, I must, at least, 



96 MARY STUART, 

know by what title to address you. The letter 
which you hold makes me think you a spy, but 
the boldness with which you enter my room with- 
out invitation leads me to think that you are my 
jailer. Pray be kind enough, therefore, to tell me 
by which of the two names I should call you." 

"By neither, madam, for I am simply your 
travelling companion and commander of the de- 
tachment which is to escort you to Lochleven Cas- 
tle, your future residence. Once there, I shall 
leave you to return hither and assist the confeder- 
ate nobles to elect a regent for the kingdom." 

'* So," said Mary, " it was as prisoner and not 
as Queen that I delivered myself to Lord Kirkal- 
dy? That was not according to the agreement, in 
which he assured me the nobles concurred, but I 
am glad to learn how much time Scottish nobles 
require for their violation of their sworn engage- 
ments." 

" Your Majesty forgets that the engagement was 
conditional," returned Lindsay. 

" Upon what.?" demanded the Queen. 

" Upon your promise to separate entirely and 
forever from your husband's murderer; and here," 
he continued, holding up the letter, " is the proof 



QUEEN OE SCOTS, 97 

that you broke faith with us before we ever 
thought of revoking our promises." 

" For what hour is my departure fixed ?" in- 
quired the Queen, beginning to weary of the dis- 
cussion. 

" Eleven o'clock, madam." 

** Very well, my lord, and as I should not like 
to keep your lordship waiting, will you have the 
goodness to withdraw ; and also, unless I am re- 
duced to waiting on myself, to send some one to 
help me dress .?" 

As she finished speaking, Mary made such an 
imperious gesture that, however inclined Lindsay 
may have been to answer, he felt constrained to 
bow and retire. A moment later Mary Seaton 
entered the room. 

The Queen was ready at the appointed time, 
and such had been her suffering in Edinburgh 
that she felt no regret at leaving. Whether to 
spare her further humiliation, or to hide her depar- 
ture from any partisans who might still be faith- 
ful to her, a litter had been prepared, and in it she 
and Mary Seaton journeyed as far as Duddington. 
There a small boat awaited them, and in the gray 
dawn of the following day the Queen and her 



98 MAJ^Y STUART, 

escort landed on the northern side of the Firth of 
Forth. 

The little party halted at Rothesay Castle just 
long enough to breakfast, for Lindsay had an- 
nounced that they must reach their destination by 
nightfall, and at sunset Mary beheld the sombre 
towers of Lochleven Castle, which stood in the 
midst of a lake, and could only be approached by 
boat. 

The royal prisoner was evidently expected, for 
on reaching the shore Lord Lindsay's squire un- 
furled his banner, which up to that time had re- 
mained in its sheath, and waved it from right to 
left, while his master blew a hunting-horn which 
hung round his neck. A boat impelled by four 
sturdy rowers immediately shot out from the 
shadow of the castle walls, and a few moments 
later it grated on the beach at the Queen's feet. 
Mary silently seated herself at the stern, while 
Lindsay and his squire took their places before 
her; and as her guardian seemed no more dis- 
posed for conversation than herself, she had time 
to examine her future abode. 

The castle, or rather the fortress of Lochleven, 
looked doubly gloomy, dark, and forbidding in the 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 99 

gathering night. Through the vapor which rose 
from the lake the Queen distinguished a massive 
structure in the architecture of the twelfth cen- 
tury, flanked by two round towers, which gave it 
the repellent aspect of a state prison. A clump 
of old trees which grew against the northern front, 
shut in by a high wall or rampart, and which 
seemed to spring from the living rock, completed 
the ensemble of the island. On every side lay 
the deep waters of the lake, beyond which, to the 
west, as far as eye could reach, stretched the plain 
of Kinross, which was bounded on the south by 
the serrated peaks of Ben Lomond, whose foot- 
hills sloped to the borders of the lake. 

Three persons awaited Mary at the castle's 
entrance: Lady Douglas, William Douglas, her 
son, and a lad of twelve, a distant relative of the 
family, who was known as Little Douglas. The 
greetings between the Queen and her hosts were 
formal, and she v/as promptly conducted to the 
apartments on the first floor, overlooking the lake, 
which had been prepared for her reception, and 
was soon left alone with Mary Seaton, the only 
one of the four Marys who had been allowed to 
accompany her. 



ioo MARY STUAkf, 

Brief and formal as the interview with her jail- 
ers had been, the Queen had formed a fair esti- 
mate of the people who had begun to play such an 
important role in her life. 

Lady Douglas was then a woman between fifty- 
five and sixty years of age, who had been hand- 
some enough in her youth to win the fancy of 
James V., and had borne him a son, the same 
Murray who had already figured so prominently 
in Mary's life, and whom she had always treated 
like a brother, despite his bar sinister. At one 
time the King's devotion to her was such that she 
aspired to become his wife, which ambition might 
have been realized, for the family of Mar, to which 
she belonged, was one of the noblest in Scotland; 
but, unfortunately for her, certain rumors which 
were current among the young noblemen of his 
Court came to James' ears. It was said that the 
beautiful favorite divided her favors between her 
royal lover and another whom she had chosen 
from the lowest class, and that this Porterfield 
was really father of the child who had received 
the name of James Stuart, and whom the King 
was rearing as his son at the Monastery ^f St. 
Andrews. This story, true or false, checked 



QUEEN OE SCOTS. lOl 

James V. at the very moment when, in gratitude 
to one who had borne him a son, he was about to 
raise her to the throne ; and, instead of marrying 
her himself, he requested her to select a husband 
from the nobles of his court. Her choice fell 
upon William Douglas, of Lochleven, and, as she 
was exceedingly handsome and the royal favor 
accompanied the marriage, that gentleman did not 
object to giving her his name. Lady Douglas, 
however, never forgot that she had just missed 
being Queen of Scotland; and, notwithstanding 
the favors which James V. continued to lavish 
upon her, she hated Mary of Lorraine, whom she 
regarded as the usurper of her proper honors, and 
that the animosity she had entertained for the 
dead queen descended to her rival's child had 
been apparent in the few words she addressed to 
Mary. 

With age, either from repentance for her past 
errors, or from policy, Lady Douglas had become 
a prude and a puritan, so that at this period she 
joined to the natural acerbity of her character all 
the harshness of the reformed religion. 

William Douglas, eldest son of the Lord of 
Lochleven and half-brother of Murray through his 



102 MARY STUART, 

mother, was a man of thirty-five or six. In per- 
son he was strong and vigorous, with the rugged 
features and sandy coloring which marked the 
younger branch of the family. He had inherited 
the deadly hatred of the Stuarts which his family 
had nourished for over a century, and which had 
manifested itself in innumerable conspiracies, re- 
bellions, and assassinations. According as for- 
tune smiled or frowned upon his half-brother, his 
own power had increased or diminished, and real- 
izing that his success in life depended on Mur- 
ray's, he had dedicated himself, body and soul, to 
the Earl's cause. Thus Mary's downfall, which 
must inevitably result in Murray's elevation to 
power, was a cause of repicing to him, and the 
confederate nobles could not have selected better 
guardians for their royal prisoner than Lady 
Douglas and her son. 

The third person who had greeted Mary on her 
arrival was the Little Douglas, who, as we have 
said, was a lad between twelve and thirteen years 
of age. Orphaned a few months previous, he had 
been taken by his kinsfolk to Lochleven, where 
he paid dearly for their hospitality, being sub- 
jected to all kinds of hardships and indignities. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 103 

Proud and vindictive, like all his race, and know- 
ing that, although his fortune was inferior, his 
birth was as noble as that of his haughty protec- 
tors, the boy's first sentiments of gratitude had 
slowly changed to deep and lasting hatred ; but, 
realizing his helplessness, he concealed his feel- 
ings with a courage and wisdom far beyond his 
years, and, apparently humble and submissive, 
awaited the time when he should be old enough to 
leave Lochleven and perhaps avenge the insults 
which his arrogant relations heaped upon him. It 
was commonly said that among the Douglas there 
was a fixed period for love, but none for hate. 
Little Douglas' hate, however, did not extend to 
the entire family, for he loved George Douglas, 
second son of the house, as fervently as he de- 
tested Lady Lochleven and William. 

George Douglas, who was absent from the cas- 
tle when the Queen arrived, was at this time in 
his twenty-fifth year. By a singular hazard, 
which the scandals of her Ladyship's early life 
led his father to interpret unfavorably to his own 
honor, he possessed none of the distinctive Doug- 
las features, and instead of prominent cheek- 
bones, ruddy complexion, light eyes, and red hair. 



I04 MARY STUART, 

had a pale skin, black hair, and dark blue eyes. 
The result was that from childhood poor George 
was the object of his father's dislike and his 
brother's animosity, while Lady Lochleven never 
showed him any of the affection which she lav- 
ished on her elder son. Left to his own devices, 
he developed like a wild shrub, and grew to man- 
hood handsome and vigorous, but uncultivated and 
neglected. From his fifteenth year he had been 
in the habit of leaving Lochleven for long pe- 
riods, and such was the indifference of his family 
that no attention was paid to his absences and 
none questioned him regarding the business or 
pleasure which took him so often from home. 
He appeared at the castle only at rare intervals, 
like those migratory birds which always return to 
the same spot, but only rest there for a space, be- 
fore flying away again to some unknown quarter 
of the globe. 

An instinctive consciousness of fellowship in 
misfortune drew George and the Little Douglas 
together. The latter, seeing the child ill-treated 
and neglected, endeavored to protect and defend 
him, and in return received all the little fellow's 
pent-up affection. Upon one occasion, when the 



QUEEN OE SCOTS. 105 

boy had committed some trivial fault, William 
Douglas was about to thrash him with his dog- 
whip, when George, who was sitting in melan- 
choly thought upon a stone, rushed to his assist- 
ance, and wrenching the whip from his brother's 
hands flung it away. Upon that the elder brother 
drew his sword and George his, and they were 
about to cut each other's throats, when the boy, 
having picked up the whip, threw himself upon 
his knees before William, and, offering him the ig- 
noble weapon, said : 

" Strike, cousin. I deserve it." 

The child's interposition gave the young men 
time for reflection, and, ashamed of what they had 
been about to do, they sheathed their swords and 
silently separated. This episode cemented the 
friendship between George and his little cousin, 
and the latter' s affection had grown to be down- 
right worship. 

It was among these people that Mary had come 
to dwell as a prisoner, for from the first she per- 
ceived that such was to be her standing at Loch- 
leven. On the morning following her arrival 
Lady Douglas presented herself, and in a coldly 
respectful manner requested Mary to go with her 



1 06 MAR V S TUAR T, 

and inspect that portion of the fortress which had 
been set aside for her personal use. She con- 
ducted her royal prisoner through a suite of three 
rooms, the first of which was intended to serve as 
her bedroom, the second as a drawing-room, and 
the third as an ante-chamber. Then, descending 
by a winding stair into the great hall of the cas- 
tle, she led the way into the garden. It was a 
small piece of ground laid out as a flower-garden, 
with a fountain in the centre, and shadowed by 
the old trees whose tops Mary had perceived 
above the castle wall on her arrival. On three 
sides it was surrounded by the castle itself, and 
on the fourth a high wall separated it from the 
outer world. This wall was pierced by a low 
door giving on to the beach, the key of which 
hung at William Douglas' side by day and lay 
under his pillow at night, and day and night it 
was guarded by a sentinel. This formed the 
whole domain of her who but yesterday had at 
her disposal the palaces, plains, and mountains of 
a whole realm — in a few brief hours she had 
fallen from the very zenith of power to helpless 
captivity. 

On returning to her apartments, Mary found 



QUEEN OE SCOTS, 10/ 

breakfast awaiting her and William Douglas 
standing beside the table. He was there to fill 
the officer of carver and taster for the Queen, for, 
notwithstanding their bitter hatred for Mary, the 
Douglases would have felt themselves eternally 
disgraced had any harm befallen her under their 
roof, and it was in order to prevent any apprehen- 
sion on the Queen's part that William Douglas, 
in the capacity of castellan, undertook not only to 
carve the Queen's food in her presence, but to 
taste of every dish that was served at her table, 
and even of the water and wine which were 
brought her. 

This precaution annoyed Mary more than it re- 
assured her, for she foresaw that it would destroy 
all informality at her table ; nevertheless, the at- 
tention was too well meant for her to take offence, 
and she resigned herself to the unwelcome com- 
pany of her jailer, but from that day she so 
abridged her meals that during the entire term of 
her imprisonment at Lochleven her longest din- 
ners did not last over a half -hour. 

Two days after her arrival, as Mary took her 
seat at the breakfast -table, she found a letter on 
her plate, and was delighted to see that the ad- 



io8 MARY STUART, 

dress was in Murray's hand; for the only hope 
that remained to her lay in this half-brother, to 
whom she had been uniformly generous and kind. 
Great was her astonishment, therefore, when, on 
opening the letter, she found it filled with bitter 
reproaches for her conduct, coupled with an ex- 
hortation to repentance for her sins and the reit- 
erated asseveration that she should never regain 
her liberty. Murray concluded his letter with 
the announcement that, despite his distaste for 
public life, he had been forced to accept the Re- 
gency, and that he had consented to fill the posi- 
tion for her sake rather than for love of country, 
as it was his only means for opposing an igno- 
minious suit which the nobles proposed to bring 
against her as chief accomplice to Darnley's mur- 
der. According to Murray, her imprisonment 
was a mercy for which she should thank Heaven, 
and a vast improvement upon the fate which 
would have been hers had he not interceded for 
her. 

This letter was a death-blow to Mary's confi- 
dence in her brother's friendship; but, deter- 
mined not to give her enemies an opportunity to 
exult over her discomfiture, she controlled her 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 109 

countenance, and, turning toward William Doug- 
las, said calmly : 

" I presume, sir, that you are already aware of 
the news contained in this letter, for, although 
we are not children of the same mother, the writer 
is as closely related to you as to me, and would 
hardly have written to one of us and neglected the 
other. Moreover, as a dutiful son, he must have 
informed his mother of his unexpected aggran- 
dizement." 

"Yes, madam," replied William, "we learned 
yesterday that for the safety of Scotland my 
brother had been appointed Regent, and, as his 
respect to his mother is equalled only by his devo- 
tion to his country, we hope that he will repair 
the wrongs which favorites of all ranks and de- 
grees have for five years past inflicted upon both." 

" Both as a dutiful son and a courteous host, I 
would beg you not to go deeper into the history 
of Scotland," returned Mary coolly, "and not to 
make a daughter blush for her father's faults ; for 
I have heard it said that the evil of which your 
lordship complains existed anterior to the date 
you mentioned, and that James V. had favorites, 
some of whom, so they say, repaid his love as 



no MARY STUART, 

poorly as others did his friendship. I am not very 
well posted upon this subject, but if you wish to 
inform yourself, there is a man who can give you 
the particulars — one Porterfield or Porterfeld — I 
am not quite sure which, as I find difficulty in re- 
membering and pronouncing the names of that 
class of people; but if I miscall it, your noble 
mother can set you straight." 

Having launched this venomed shaft, Mary 
rose, and leaving Douglas crimson with rage, 
passed calmly into her bedroom, bolting the door 
behind her. 

She did not appear again during the day, but 
sat by her window, whence she could at least en- 
joy the magnificent view, which included the plain 
and hamlet of Kinross; but the vast extent of 
country which lay before her only magnified the 
oppression of her heart, for when her eyes wan- 
dered back from the horizon to the castle, they 
fell upon its high walls, surrounded on all sides 
by the deep waters of the lake, on whose surface 
naught could be seen but a single skiff from 
which Little Douglas was fishing. 

For some moments Mary gazed abstractedly on 
the boat, in whose occupant she recognized the 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. m 

child who had attracted her attention on the eve 
of her arrival. Suddenly a horn sounded from the 
direction of Kinross, and instantly Little Douglas 
pulled in his line and rowed away in the direction 
from whence the signal came, with a strength and 
skill beyond his years. Mary listlessly watched 
the child, until the boat became but a dark spot 
upon the water and finally disappeared altogether ; 
but presently it reappeared, and she saw that it 
bore a new passenger, who was wielding the oars 
in such fashion that the little craft fairly flew over 
the tranquil waters, leaving in its wake a thou- 
sand ripples which danced and glittered in the 
rays of the setting sun. 

Soon, swept onward with the swiftness of a 
bird, it was near enough for the watcher to see 
that the sturdy rower was a young man of twenty- 
six or seven, clad in a doublet of dark-green cloth 
and wearing a Highland cap ornamented with 
an eagle's feather. As they drew near, his back 
being turned to the castle, she observed Little 
Douglas lean forward and speak to him, and the 
stranger at once turned his head and looked in 
her direction. With an instinctive dread of cu- 
rious eyes, Mary hastily drew back from the win- 



1 1 2 MAR Y STUAR T, 

dow ; but quickly as she moved she caught sight 
of a pale, handsome face, with dark, bright eyes. 
When she returned to the window, the boat was 
drawn up on the strip of beach outside the walls, 
and both its occupants had disappeared. 

Everything is the subject for a conjecture to a 
prisoner, and it seemed to Mary that the stran- 
ger's face was not unknown to her; but although 
she searched her memory she could not recall 
where she had seen him, and finally concluded 
that she had been deceived by some vague resem- 
blance to another person. And yet, strive as she 
might, the Queen could not banish the thought 
of the stranger nor dispel the vision of the little 
craft skimming across the lake, which, for some 
mysterious reason, seemed coming to her rescue ; 
and, lulled by these kindly fancies, she slept more 
soundly and peacefully that night than she had 
done since her imprisonment. 

As she crossed the great hall the next morning 
on her way to the garden, she observed that two 
horses, equipped as for a journey, stood before 
the door, and a sense of desertion fell upon her, 
for they indicated the approaching departure of a 
gentleman and his groom, and she imagined that 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 1 13 

the stranger whose coming had wakened a faint 
hope in her bosom was about to leave Lochleven. 
Mary neither chose nor dared ask any questions, 
so she went away to the garden, and as she en- 
tered took in its whole extent at a glance — it was 
deserted. 

She strolled about for a few moments, but 
soon wearied of her lonely walk and returned to 
her rooms. As she again passed through the hall, 
she observed that the horses were no longer 
there, and mounted rapidly to her chamber to see 
if she could discover anything on the lake which 
might guide her conjectures. A boat was just 
leaving the island, and in it were the horses and 
their riders, one of whom was William Douglas 
and the other his squire. 

Mary watched the boat until it touched the op- 
posite shore, where the travellers disembarked, 
and mounting rode rapidly away over the same 
road by which she had come ; and, as both horses 
and riders wore armor, she concluded that Doug- 
las was on his way to Edinburgh. As she stood 
watching the distant horsemen, Mary Seaton an- 
nounced that Lady Douglas asked leave to see 
her. 



1 14 MAR V STUART. 

It was the second time that the two women 
stood face to face, after long years of bitter hatred 
on one side and contemptuous indifference on the 
other, and the Queen, with that instinctive co- 
quetry which makes a woman wish to look well 
under all circumstances, and especially before one 
of her own sex, immediately stepped to her mir- 
ror, arranged her hair, and readjusted her lace 
collarette. She then seated herself in a graceful 
attitude in the only armchair which her drawing- 
room could boast, and smilingly told her lady-in- 
waiting that she might admit the visitor. 

In spite of her hatred of the daughter of James 
v.. Lady Douglas could not control a start of sur- 
prise and admiration as her eyes fell upon the 
Queen. She had expected to find her crushed by 
sorrow, worn by fatigue, and humbled by captiv- 
ity, but she found her as beautiful and haughty as 
though in the full enjoyment of power and rank. 
Observing the effect which she had produced, the 
Queen smiled ironically, and, addressing herself 
partly to Mary Seaton, who stood behind her 
chair, and partly to her unexpected visitor, said : 

" We are fortunate to-day, for it seems we are 
to enjoy the society of our good hostess, to whom 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 115 

we must express our acknowledgments for her 
observance of the vain ceremony of announcement, 
which, having the keys of our apartment, she 
might easily have dispensed with." 

" I am sorry if my presence is displeasing to 
your Grace," responded Lady Douglas, " particu- 
larly as circumstances oblige me to inflict it upon 
you twice daily during the absence of my son, 
who has been summoned to Edinburgh by the 
Regent. It was of this that I came to inform your 
Grace, not with the empty ceremonial of the 
Court, but simply with the courtesy which I owe to 
every person who breaks bread beneath my roof." 

" Our good hostess misunderstands us," rejoined 
Mary with affected affability, "but the Regent 
could bear witness to the pleasure we have always 
taken in the companionship of all who remind us, 
even indirectly, of our beloved father, James V. 
Lady Douglas, therefore, wrongs us by attributing 
our surprise at her unlooked-for appearance to 
chagrin or discourtesy, and the hospitality she so 
courteously proffers does not promise — in spite of 
her good-will — sufficient distraction for us to de- 
prive ourselves of that which her visits cannot fail 
to afford us." 



li6 MARV STUART, 

" Unhappily, madam," retorted Lady Douglas, 
whom Mary kept standing before her, " great as is 
the pleasure which I myself derive from these visits, 
I shall be compelled to forego them save during 
the hours I have mentioned, for I am now too old 
to bear fatigue and have always been too proud to 
submit to sarcasm." 

"Really, Seaton," exclaimed Mary, apparently 
surprised at her negligence, " we had quite forgot- 
ten that Lady Douglas, having acquired the right 
to sit in the presence of the King, my father, was 
justly entitled to the privilege in the prison of the 
Queen, his daughter. Set a stool, Seaton, that our 
thoughtlessness may not deprive us of our amiable 
hostess' company. Or," she continued, rising and 
indicating her own chair to Lady Douglas, who was 
preparing to withdraw, " if a stool does not suit 
your Ladyship, take this armchair; you will not 
be the first of your family to sit in my place." 

Lady Douglas was about to make a bitter reply 
to this allusion to Murray's usurpation, when the 
young man who had arrived the day previous en- 
tered the room unannounced, and advanced tO' 
ward Lady Douglas without saluting the Queen. 

"Madam," he said respectfully, "the boat 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 117 

which set my brother ashore has returned, and 
one of the oarsmen is charged with an important 
message for you." Then bowing courteously be- 
fore the old lady, he left the room without once 
glancing toward the Queen, who, deeply wounded 
by such impertinence, turned to her lady-in-waiting 
and said quietly : 

"Who told us, Seaton, of certain rumors, de- 
rogatory to the fair fame of our worthy hostess, 
apropos of a dark-haired child ? If the man who 
has just left is that child I am ready to assure all 
incredulous people that he is a genuine Douglas — 
if not in courage, at least in insolence. Come, 
dearest," she continued, slipping her arm through 
Mary Seaton's, "let us withdraw, otherwise our 
kind hostess may be obliged by courtesy to keep 
us company a while longer, and we know she is 
impatiently waited elsewhere." 

With these words Mary retired to her bedroom, 
while the old lady, confused by the flood of sar- 
casm which the Queen had poured upon her, left 
the room muttering : 

" Yes, yes, he is a Douglas, and with God's help 
I hope to prove it." 

The Queen kept up bravely before her enemy, 



Il8 MARY STUART, 

but, once alone with her faithful companion, she 
burst into tears. Her pride, both as woman and 
sovereign, had been cruelly wounded by George 
Douglas' contemptuous manner, while his hostile 
attitude had destroyed the confidence which she 
had intuitively placed in him. 

At the dinner hour Lady Douglas, true to her 
word, mounted to the Queen's apartments arrayed 
in her handsomest gown; she was preceded by 
four servants, who carried the various dishes which 
were to compose the captives' meal, and followed 
by the old steward of the castle, who, as upon 
grand occasions, wore his gold chain and carried 
his staff of office. The servants set the dishes 
upon the table and waited in deferential silence 
until it should please the Queen to appear; but 
when the door finally opened it was to admit 
Mary Seaton only. 

" Madame," she said, " her Grace is indisposed 
this evening and will not dine; it is therefore 
unnecessary for you to wait longer." 

"Permit me to hope," replied Lady Douglas, 
"that she may change her mind; at all events, 
bear witness that I acquit myself of my duty." 

A servant thereupon handed her some bread 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 1 19 

and salt upon a silver plate, and the old steward, 
who acted as carver in William Douglas' absence, 
served her with a morsel of each dish on the table. 

" So the Queen will not appear again to-day ?" 
inquired Lady Douglas when this formality was 
at an end. 

" Such is her Majesty's determination," replied 
Mary Seaton. 

" In that case," returned the old lad}^, " our 
presence is useless; but the table is served, and 
should her Grace require anything further she has 
but to ring." Therewith she withdrew with the 
same unbending dignity which marked her coming. 

As the mistress of the house had foreseen, the 
Queen finally yielded to Mary Seaton' s entreaties 
and left her room about eight o'clock in the even- 
ing, and, waited on by her lady of honor, made a 
light meal ; she then seated herself at a window 
and gazed sadly at the vast expanse of open 
country beyond her prison walls. It was one of 
those superb summer nights when all nature seems 
to rejoice; the sky was studded with myriads of 
stars which were reflected in the calm waters of 
the lake below, and in their midst, like a fiery 
planet, shone the flame of a torch at the stern of a 



I20 MAJiY STUART, 

small boat, by whose light George Douglas and his 
little cousin were fishing. The sight of the 
young man who had so insulted her recalled to 
the Queen all the trials of the day, and, hastily 
closing her window, she returned to her bedroom, 
but she was so nervous and depressed that sleep 
was impossible, and she spent a restless, miser- 
able night and was in a most irritable mood 
when Lady Douglas came at breakfast in time 
to fulfil her duties as taster. Affairs might 
nevertheless have gone smoothly had Lady 
Douglas retired after tasting of all the dishes 
instead of remaining standing by the buffet ; but 
her persistence in remaining, which was perhaps 
but a mark of respect, seemed to the unhappy 
Queen like petty and unbearable tyranny. 

" Dearest," she said to Mary Seaton, " have you 
already forgotten that our excellent hostess com- 
plained yesterday that it fatigued her to stand. 
Give her one of the two stools which constitute 
our royal furnishing, and see that it is not the one 
with the broken leg." 

Lady Douglas grew purple with mortification. 
"It is the fault of Scotland's sovereigns that 
the appointments of Lochleven Castle are in such 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, I2i 

lamentable plight, madame," she said bitterly, 
" for the poor Douglases have had so little share 
in their favor that they have found it difficult to 
live like simple gentry, and impossible to maintain 
the splendid establishment of their ancestors. I 
am told that there was once a musician at the 
court who spent more than their yearly income in 
a single month." 

"Those who are so expert in helping them- 
selves, my lady," rejoined the Queen, " stand in 
no need of gifts. The poor Douglases, it seems to 
me, have lost nothing by waiting, for to-day every 
scion of the house may aspire to a princely alli- 
ance. . . . Verily, it is a pity that our royal sister 
of England has sworn to remain a virgin." 

" Or that the Queen of Scotland is not for the 
third time a widow," snapped Lady Douglas. " I 
do not mean to reproach your Grace," she added 
quickly, as if recollecting to whom she spoke, " for 
I know that Catholics regard marriage as a sacra- 
ment and as such receive it as often as pos- 
sible." 

" Therein lies the difference between them and 
the Protestants," retorted Mary, smiling. "The 
latter, not having an equal respect for the tie, 



122 MARY STUART, 

think that under certain circumstances they can 
dispense with it altogether." 

Furious at this reference to her past, Lady 
Douglas sprang toward the Queen armed with 
the knife which she had used in her quality of 
taster ; but the Queen rose and stood facing her 
so calmly and majestically that involuntarily re- 
spect, or shame of her angry impulse, caused her 
to drop the weapon, and, unable to think of any 
retort which would amply express her sentiments, 
she signed to the servants to follow her and left 
the room with such dignity as her anger per- 
mitted. 

The door had hardly closed behind the chatelaine 
of Lochleven when Mary resumed her seat, and, 
delighted over her victory, ate a hearty breakfast, 
while Mary Seaton respectfully deplored the un- 
lucky gift of repartee which had made her mistress 
so many enemies; but the Queen only laughed, 
and said she was impatient for dinner that she 
might see how her hostess would conduct her- 
self. 

Before evening Mary's gayety had evaporated, 
and the thought of being again in contact with the 
woman whose pride she was always forced to com- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 123 

bat was so repugnant that she determined not to 
appear for dinner ; she was well pleased with her 
decision when she learned that on this occasion 
the duties which the family had taken upon them- 
selves in order to set her mind at rest regarding 
the dangers of poison were not to be performed 
by Lady Douglas but by George, whom her Lady- 
ship, still chafing over her discomfiture of the 
morning, had sent to replace her. She was not a 
little surprised, after his impertinence of the day 
previous, which had wounded her more deeply than 
Lady Douglas' insolence, when Mary Seaton in- 
formed her that, having dismissed the servants, the 
young man humbly craved the honor of speaking 
with her on a matter of great importance. The 
Queen at first refused to see him, but on her lady- 
in-waiting's telling her that the young man's man- 
ner and bearing were totally different from that of 
two days before, and that she believed it would 
be a mistake not to grant his request, she rose 
and entered the adjoining room with the 
graceful dignity natural to her, and, having 
taken a few steps beyond the door, stopped and 
waited with a disdainful air for George to address 
her. 



124 MARY STUART. 

Mary Seaton had spoken truly. George Douglas 
was no longer the proud, insolent person whom she 
had seen, but a respectful, most timid courtier ; he 
made a movement toward the Queen, but checked 
himself when he perceived that her lady-in-waiting 
stood behind her. 

"Your Majesty," he said, bowing low, "I am 
particularly anxious to speak with you alone ; will 
you not grant me that favor?" 

" Mary Seaton' s presence need be no restraint," 
answered the Queen, "for she is my sister, my 
friend, and, more than all, the sharer of my cap- 
tivity." 

"And in each of those capacities, madam, I 
have the greatest veneration for her ; nevertheless, 
what I have to say is for your Majesty's ear alone, 
and, as another opportunity may not present itself, 
I implore your Grace, in the name of all you hold 
dear, to grant my request." 

There was such an accent of entreaty, such 
respectful sincerity in his voice, that Mary yielded, 
and, turning to her companion, said, with an affec- 
tionate gesture : 

"Go, then, dear one; but be easy, you shall 
lose nothing by absence." 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 125 

Mary Seaton immediately withdrew and the 
Queen advanced a step nearer George. 

" Now, sir, that we are alone," she said kindly, 
"pray what have you to tell me?" 

In lieu of replying, George sank on his knee be- 
fore her, and, drawing a paper from his bosom, pre- 
sented to her in silence. Mary, greatly surprised, 
unfolded it slowly, with her eyes fixed on Douglas, 
who still knelt. 

" Will not your Majesty read ?" he asked, and 
Mary, holding the paper with trembling hands, 
read the following declaration : 

" We peers of Scotland, in consideration of the 
fact that our rightful Queen is held prisoner at 
Lochleven and that her faithful subjects are denied 
access to her person, and believing it our duty to 
take measures for her safety, do engage and take 
oath to employ every means in our power to set 
her at liberty on conditions compatible with her 
Majesty's honor, the welfare of the kingdom, and 
to guarantee the lives of those who hold her in 
prison, provided they consent to release her ; if they 
refuse, we declare that we purpose to devote our- 
selves and our children, friends, servants, and 
vassals, our property and our lives, to secure her 



126 MARY STUART, 

liberty, to assure the safety of the Prince, and the 
punishment of the late King's murderers. If we 
are assailed because of our intention, either as a 
body or individually, we swear to defend ourselves 
and to aid one another, or to confess ourselves 
infamous and perjured, and to this end may God 
help us. 

" Signed with our own hands at Dumbarton : 
Andrews, Argyle, Huntly, Arbroath, Galloway, 
Ross, Fleming, Herries, Stirling, Kilwinning, 
Hamilton, St. Clair." 

"And Seaton!" exclaimed Mary; "among all 
these names I do not see that of my faithful 
Seaton." 

Douglas, still kneeling, drew another paper from 
his breast and handed it to her ; it contained but 
these words : 

" Trust George Douglas, for in all the kingdom 
your Majesty has no more devoted friend. 

" Seaton." 

Mary looked down on the young man with in- 
finite sweetness, and, motioning him to rise, said 
with a sigh, in which there was more joy than sad- 
ness: 

" I see that despite my errors God has not yet 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 127 

abandoned me; but how happens it that you — a 
Douglas — should be my friend? Oh, it passes 
belief!" 

" Madam," George replied, " seven years have 
passed since I first saw you in France, and for 
seven years I have worshipped you." 

Mary started and raised her hand in a silencing 
gesture ; but George shook his head with an expres- 
sion of such humility, such profound melancholy, 
that she saw she might safely listen to what he 
had to say. 

"Rest assured, madam," he continued, "that 
I should never have made this avowal did it not 
explain my conduct and show you why I may be 
trusted. Yes, I have loved you for seven years, 
but as one loves a star one does not hope to reach, 
or a Madonna to whom one can only pray ; for 
seven years I have followed you everywhere, with- 
out so much as a glance from you, and without at- 
tempting, by word or act, to attract your attention. 
I was aboard the ship that brought you to Scotland ; 
I was among the Regent's troops when you fought 
with Huntly, I was of your escort when you went 
to visit the King at Glasgow. I reached Edin- 
burgh an hour after your departure for this place, 



128 MAHY STUART. 

and then for the first time my mission in life was 
revealed to me, and I knew that the passion which 
had hitherto seemed a sacrilege was on the coun- 
trary a favor from on high. I learned that the 
nobles of your party were assembled at Dumbar- 
ton, and I hastened thither ; I pledged my name, 
my honor, and my life, and, thanks to the ease with 
which I can pass in and out of this fortress, I ob- 
tained the privilege of bringing you the act they 
had just signed. Now, madam, forget all that I 
have said save the assurance of my unalterable 
respect and devotion ; forget that I am near 
you. ... I am used to obscurity, ... but if you 
need me you have only to make a sign, for my de- 
votion, my life, has been at your service for seven 
years." 

"Alas!" exclaimed Mary, "only this morning 
I complained that no one loved me. I ought rather 
to bewail the fact that I am still beloved, for the 
passion I inspire is fatal. Look back, Douglas, 
and count the graves that, young as I am, I have 
left along my path. Frangois, Chatelard, Rizzio, 
Darnley ! . . . Ah, it must be something stronger 
than love which leads you to cleave to me now ; it 
must be true, unselfish devotion and heroism, the 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 129 

more so because, as you have said, there is no 
recompense possible — you fully understand that, 
Douglas ?" 

" Madam, madam," cried Douglas, " am I not 
more than rewarded by the joy of seeing you daily, 
the hope that you will regain your] liberty through 
me, and the certitude that, if I cannot set you free, 
I shall at least die before your eyes." 

" Poor boy !" murmured Mary, lifting her eyes 
heavenward, as if she foresaw the fate which 
awaited her new champion. 

" Say, rather, 'Happy Douglas ! ' " he responded, 
touching his lips to the hand she held out to him. 

" Upon what did you and my friends resolve V 
asked the Queen, raising him from the humble 
attitude he had thus far maintained. 

" Nothing as yet, madam, for we have not had 
time. Your escape, which would be impossible 
without me, will be very difficult even with my 
aid, and your Grace saw that it was necessary for 
me to be absolutely rude and disrespectful before 
my mother in order to win the confidence which 
has enabled me to see you to-day ; if that confi- 
dence ever becomes so great that either my mother 
or brother entrust me with the castle keys, your 



130 MARY STUART, 

escape is assured. But your Majesty must not 
be surprised at anything, not deceived by appear- 
ances, for before every one I must appear a true 
Douglas, that is, your Majesty's enemy; and un- 
less your life is in danger I shall not betray my 
devotion by word or action. I implore your Grace 
to believe that, present or absent, silent or speak- 
ing, idle or active, my devotion is unchangeable — 
all will be done in your service. Look in that 
direction every evening," he continued, crossing 
to the window and pointing out a cottage on the 
slope of Kinross, " and so long as you see a light 
shining there, know that your friends watch over 
you, and that you must not lose hope." 

" Thanks, Douglas, thanks !" exclaimed the 
Queen. " It inspires me with fresh courage to 
meet a heart like yours !" 

*' I must take leave of your Majesty now," the 
young man said quietly, coloring with pleasure, 
" for to remain longer would rouse suspicion. . . . 
and remember, madam, that the moment I am sus- 
pected, that light, which is your only beacon of 
hope, will be extinguished and all will be dark 
again." 

Douglas then bowed, even more respectfully 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 131 

than he had yet done, and withdrew, leaving Mary 
with her heart filled with hope and gratified pride, 
for the homage which had just been laid at her 
feet was tendered to the woman rather than the 
Queen. 

As she had promised, the Queen repeated to 
Mary Seaton all that Douglas had said, . . . even 
his declaration of love, . . . and they waited im- 
patiently for nightfall to see if the promised star 
of hope would shine. They were not disappointed, 
for as twilight deepened into darkness the light 
appeared. Trembling with joy, the Queen re- 
mained hour after hour beside the window, gazing 
on the distant light which proved she was not yet 
forsaken ; finally Mary Seaton prevailed upon her 
to go to bed, but twice during the night she stole 
silently to her lookout : the ray of hope was al- 
ways shining and did not flicker until the dawn, 
when it faded from sight with its sister stars. 

At breakfast George announced his brother's ex- 
pected return and his own departure ; he was to 
leave next morning for a conference with the 
nobles who had signed the declaration, and who 
had separated immediately afterward to raise 
troops in their respective counties. He showed 



132 MARY STUART, 

the Queen, who was both impatient and nervous, 
that it would not be wise for her to make any at- 
tempt at flight until she could be sure of assem- 
bling an army strong enough to take the field, and 
that, as for him, her guardians were so accustomed 
to his abrupt departures and unexpected returns 
that his going would rouse no suspicion. 

Toward evening a bugle announced William 
Douglas' return ; he was accompanied by Lord 
Ruthven, son of the man who murdered Rizzio 
and who had died an exile in England, and they 
came a day in advance of Lord Lindsay of Byres 
and Sir Robert Melvil, brother of Mary's former 
ambassador to Elizabeth. The three noblemen 
were entrusted with a mission to the captive 
Queen on the part of the Regent. 

The next day the old order of life was restored. 
William resumed his office of carver, and the break- 
fast hour passed without Mary learning aught of 
George's departure or of Ruthven' s presence in 
the castle; but in the early afternoon the clear 
notes of a bugle rang out from the shore, and, has- 
tening to the window, Mary espied a little troop of 
horsemen waiting for the boat to come and take 
off such of them as proposed to visit the castle. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 133 

The distance was too great for the Queen to 
recognize any of the party, but it was evident 
enough from the signals exchanged between the 
strangers and the inhabitants of the castle that 
they were expected, and she thus knew the new- 
comers to be her enemies. Filled with misgiv- 
ings she watched the boat which went to fetch 
them, and perceived that only two of the party 
entered it ; as the little craft approached the for- 
tress her forebodings changed to downright fear, 
for in one of its passengers she thought she rec- 
ognized the man who, a fortnight previous, had 
escorted her to her prison. It was indeed Lord 
Lindsay; as usual, he wore a visorless casque 
which revealed his rugged face, whose deep lines 
betrayed a rough, violent nature, and his long 
black beard, sprinkled with gray, which fell upon 
his chest. 

His body was protected, as in battle, by a cuirass 
which had once been well polished and gilded, but 
which, from incessant exposure to rain and fog, had 
grown dull and rusty; across his back he wore a 
great sword, which was so heavy it could only be 
handled with both hands, and so long that while 
the hilt touched his left shoulder the point reached 



134 MARY STUART, 

to his right spur. In a word, Lindsay was a cam- 
paigner, not a courtier ; brave almost to temerity 
but rough and insolent, knowing nothing but duty 
and brute force, and always ready to use the one in 
the service of the other. 

The Queen was so engrossed by the sight of 
Lord Lindsay that she neglected to look at his 
companion until the boat was about to land ; she 
was somewhat reassured to find that it was Sir 
Robert Melvil, for, whatever happened, she felt sure 
that in him she should find a sincere, if not osten- 
sible sympathizer. A man can be judged some- 
what by his dress, and Sir Robert's contrasted 
strikingly with his companion's. He wore a black 
velvet doublet with a cap and plume of the same 
color, the latter held in place by a gold clasp, and 
his only weapon was a short sword, which seemed 
worn rather to indicate his rank than for purposes 
of attack or defence. His features and bearing 
harmonized with his pacific costume ; his pale face 
expressed both shrewdness and intelligence, his 
bright eyes shone with a kindly light, and his 
voice was gentle and winning ; in figure he was tall 
and thin, and he stooped slightly, rather from habit 
than age, for he was at this time only forty-five. 



QUEEN OE SCOTS. I35 

The presence of this peaceable man did not, 
however, wholly allay Mary's fears, and when the 
boat disappeared behind the abutment of a tower 
on its way to the landing-place before the main 
gateway, she told Mary Seaton to go down to the 
great hall and try to ascertain what brought Lord 
Lindsay to Lochleven; knowing that once she 
understood the motive of his visit, she could, upon 
a moment's notice, compose her countenance and 
assume the serene and majestic demeanor whose 
softening influence upon her enemies she had often 
observed. 

Left alone, her eyes flew to the cottage on the 
moor-side wherein lay her only hope, but the dis- 
tance was too great for her to distinguish anything, 
and moreover its shutters closed at dawn and 
opened only at night; like clouds which, having 
hidden the sun all day, break away at night and 
permit the storm-driven mariner to see his pole- 
star. 

After a brief absence Mary Seaton returned 
with a troubled air. 

"Well, dearest.-*" said the Queen, turning from 
the window. 

** Yoiir Majesty was not mistaken ; it was indeed 



136 MARY STUART, 

Lord Lindsay and Sir Robert Melvil who arrived, 
but there is another guest here who came yester- 
day with William Douglas, and his presence I fear 
will be even more obnoxious to your Grace than 
either of those I have mentioned." 

" Tell me who it is, Mary ; you see that I am 
calm and prepared for anything." 

" Ah, madam, you must summon all your cour- 
age, not only to hear who has come, but shortly 
to meet him — it is Lord Ruthven." 

The Queen uttered a low cry and seemed about 
to swoon ; she clung to the casement for support, 
and Mary Seaton, alarmed at the effect of the 
hated name, sprang to assist her unhappy mis- 
tress. 

" It is nothing," the Queen said faintly, pressing 
her hand against her heart ; " I shall soon be my- 
self again." After an instant she continued: 
" You were right, Mary ; that name is too inti- 
mately associated with bitter memories for me to 
hear it calmly. Alas, the demand which such men 
are commissioned to make is sure to be one of ter- 
rible import. But never mind, I shall soon be 
prepared to receive my brother's ambassadors . . . 
for doubtless they come in his name. ... Do you, 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 137 

dear, prevent their entering until I have had time 
to compose myself and recover my wits — you 
know me, it will not take long." She then en- 
tered her bedroom with a firm step and bolted the 
door after her. 

Mary Seaton stood for a moment lost in admira- 
tion of the strength of character which gave Mary 
Stuart, ordinarily so thoroughly a woman, a man's 
courage in the presence of danger ; she then crossed 
the room to secure the door with a wooden bar 
which ran through two iron staples, but to her 
surprise the bar had disappeared and there re- 
mained no way of fastening the door upon the in- 
side. While she was searching for something 
which could replace the abstracted bar, she heard 
some one coming up the stairs, and guessing, by 
the heavy, resounding step, that it was Lord Lind- 
say, she slipped her arm through the staples, de- 
termined to let it be broken rather than allow her 
mistress to be disturbed one moment before it 
suited her convenience. 

She heard the heavy footstep cross the landing, 
felt some one try the door, and then a harsh voice 
cried : 

" Open the door ! Open it instantly t'* 



138 MAjRY STUART, 

" By what right, " demanded Mary Seaton, " do 
you thus insolently order me to open the Queen's 
door?" 

" By the right which the Regent's ambassador 
possesses to enter anywhere in his name; I am 
Lord Lindsay, and I wish to speak to Lady Mary 
Stuart." 

"An ambassador," returned Mary Seaton, "is 
not dispensed from announcing his visit to a lady 
— much less to a queen — and though this one be, 
as he claims, Lord Lindsay, he will await his sov- 
ereign's pleasure, as any noble Scotchman would 
do in his place." 

" By St. Andrew !" cried Lindsay, " if you do not 
open the door, I will force it !" 

" Do not be so hasty, my lord, I beg of you, " 
said another voice, which Mary recognized as 
Melvil's ; " let us wait a moment for Lord Ruthven, 
who is not quite ready." 

" Upon my soul !" cried Lindsay, shaking the 
door violently, " I will not wait a second." 

Then, as the door resisted his efforts, he turned 
angrily on the steward, who had conducted them 
to the Queen's apartments : 

"What does this mean, sirrah.?" he shouted, 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 139 

" did you not tell me that the bar had been re- 
moved ?" 

" And so it has, my lord." 

" Then what has the wench barred it with ?" 

" With my arm, my lord," answered the intrepid 
girl, " as a Douglas did for James I. in the days 
when the Douglases had black hair instead of red, 
and were loyal subjects instead of traitors." 

" As you are so familiar with Scotch history," 
retorted Lindsay savagely, " you doubtless remem- 
ber that that frail barrier failed to check Graham, 
and that Catherine Douglas' arm was broken like 
a willow twig and James I. killed like a dog." 

"And you, my Lord Lindsay, "replied Mary 
Seaton coolly, " must be familiar with the ballad 
which is sung to this day : 

" * Now shunned be Robert Graham, 

The assassin of the King; 

May all men curse the dastard 

Who did this evil thing! ' " 

" Mary, open the door immediately," called the 
Queen, who had heard the dispute from her bed- 
room. 

Mary obeyed, and Lord Lindsay, followed by 



I40 MARY STUART, 

Melvil, who walked slowly with lowered head, as 
if ashamed, crossed the ante-chamber and entered 
the drawing-room. 

" Well, where is she ?" said Lindsay impatiently, 
glancing round ; " has she not kept us cooling our 
heels long enough, or does she fancy herself still 
Queen for all these bolts and bars?" 

" Patience, my lord," remonstrated Sir Robert 
mildly ; " Lord Ruthven has not yet come, and, since 
we can do nothing without him, we might better 
wait quietly." 

"Those who like can wait," snarled Lindsay, 
aflame with anger, " but I shall not bide her pleas- 
ure, and wherever Mary Stuart is there I propose 
to go." 

As he spoke he took several steps in the direc- 
tion of the Queen's bedroom, but at that moment 
the door was suddenly opened and Mary appeared, 
apparently unmoved either by the visit or the visit- 
or's insolence, and she was so beautiful, so se- 
renely dignified, that Lindsay was awed to silence, 
and inclined himself respectfully before her as if 
in obedience to a superior power. 

" We fear we have kept you waiting, my Lord 
Lindsay," said the Queen quietly, without other 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 141 

acknowledgment of the ambassador's salute than 
a slight inclination of her head, "but a woman 
cannot receive even her enemies without first giv- 
ing some attention to her toilet — men are often less 
punctilious in that respect," she added, glancinj 
at Lindsay's rusty armor and travel-stained doub- 
let. " Good-evening, Melvil," she continued, dis- 
regarding Lindsay's muttered apologies ; " you ar^ 
as welcome in our prison as you were in our palace, 
for in either place I know you for a courteous gen- 
tleman." 

Then, turning toward Lindsay, who was im- 
patiently watching the door, she said, pointing to 
the sword which hung across his shoulder : 

" You have there, my lord, a faithful, if some- 
what ponderous companion. Did you expect to 
find enemies here against whom to employ it ? If 
not, it is a strange ornament to wear in a woman's 
presence. However, I am too thoroughly a Stuart 
to fear the sight of a sword, even though it be a 
naked one." 

"It is not out of place, here, madam," replied 
Lindsay, drawing the huge blade from its scab- 
bard and leaning upon it, "for it is an old ac- 
quaintance of your family." ^ 



142 MARY STUART, 

" My lord, your ancestors were too brave and 
loyal for me to question the truth of your state- 
ment, and so good a blade must have rendered 
good service." 

" Yes, madam, yes ; that it did, but of a kind 
kings never pardon. He who ordered this swo^d 
made was Archibald the Bold, and he wore it first 
upon the day when he forced his way into your 
great-grandfather James III.'s tent and captured 
his crew of fawning minions, whom he hung from 
the bridge of Lauder with the halters of his sol- 
dier's horses. It was with this same sword that, in 
the tiltyard, he cut down Spens of Kilspendie, who 
had insulted him in the presence of James IV., 
counting upon his royal master's protection, which, 
however, shielded him no better than his buckler, 
which was cut in twain. Upon its master's death, 
which occurred two years later, after the defeat of 
Flodden, where he left both his sons and two hun- 
dred warriors bearing the name of Douglas upon the 
field, it passed to the Earl of Angus, who drew 
it from the scabbard when he drove the Hamil- 
tons out of Edinburgh. Lastly, your father, 
James V., saw it flash at the battle of Tweed's 
Bridge, when Buccleuch, incited by him, strove 



QUEEN OE SCOTS. 143 

to wrest him from the guardianship of the Doug- 
lases." 

" How happens it, pray," said Mary, " that after 
such exploits the sword did not remain in the 
Douglas family? The Earl of Angus must have 
had a good reason for parting with this modern 
Excalibar." 

"Aye, madam, he had an excellent reason for 
giving it to me," replied Lindsay, ignoring Mel- 
vil's gestures of entreaty, " and this part of the 
sword's history will interest you more than all the 
rest, for, being so near the present time, you will 
readily recall the circumstances. It was but ten 
days since, upon the field of Carberry Hill, when 
that infamous traitor Bothwell challenged to sin- 
gle combat any man who dared assert that he was 
guilty of the King your husband's murder, that 
I received this trusty sword. I was the third to 
tell him to his face that he was an assassin ; and, 
as he refused to fight with the others, pretexting 
that they were but simple barons, I, who am an 
earl, came forward in my turn. Then it was that 
noble Morton girded me with his good sword that 
I might fight the scoundrel to the death, and, had 
his presumption been a little greater, or his cow- 



144 MAJ^Y STUART, 

ardice a trifle less, I would have done such work 
with this good steel that the dogs and vultures 
would have feasted on his carcass." 

Melvil and Mary Seaton gazed at each other 
aghast, for the events which Lindsay recalled were 
so recent they still rankled in the Queen's heart ; 
but she, with incredible impassibility and with a 
disdainful smile upon her lips, replied coolly : 

" It is easy, my lord, to vanquish an enemy 
who does not enter the lists ; but, believe me, had 
I inherited my father's sword as well as his scep- 
tre, your sword, long as it is, might have proved a 
little too short. Permit me now to recall to your 
mind the business which brought you here, for I 
presume you did not journey to Lochleven solely 
to regale me with the history of your own and 
your friends' exploits." 

"You are right, madam," answered Lindsay, 
flushed with anger ; " and you would already know 
the nature of our mission had Lord Ruthven been 
a little more punctual. But, take patience, ma- 
dam ; you will not have long to wait now, for I hear 
his step on the stair." 

The Queen, who had borne all Lindsay's insults 
bravely, paled visibly, and Melvil, who had not 



QUEEN OE SCOTS. 145 

taken his eyes from her face, put out his hand 
toward her armchair as if to force her into it ; but 
the motioned to him that there was no need, and, 
to all appearances perfectly calm, stood waiting 
Lord Ruthven's coming. 

Lord Ruthven was both a soldier and a states- 
man, and the costume whch he wore upon this occa- 
sion was suited to either profession ; it consisted of 
an embroidered buff coat, suitable for a sovereign's 
levee, and over which, in case of need, a cuirass 
could readily be buckled. Like his father he was 
pale, and like him predestined to die young, and 
his features were marked by the peculiar melan- 
choly by which the soothsayers of the time claimed 
to recognize those who were destined to die a 
violent death. 

He possessed the polished dignity of a courtier 
and the inflexible firmness of a minister, and 
though determined to obtain from Mary Stuart, 
if need be by force, that which he had come to de- 
mand in the Regent's name, he was none the less 
polite, and on entering bent before her with perfect 
courtesy. The steward moved a heavy table pro- 
vided with writing materials near the empty 
armchair, and then, at a sign from Lord Ruthven, 

lO 



146 MAJ^v srr/Aj^r, 

left the room, leaving the Queen and the three 
ambassadors together. 

The Queen, assuming that the table and chair 
were for her use, seated herself, and, after a mo- 
ment, broke the sombre silence : 

" Gentlemen," she said, " I wait to learn the 
nature of your mission." Then, as they still kept 
silence, she continued : " Is it possible that the 
message you have brought me is so terrible that 
two such valiant soldiers as Lord Lindsay and 
Lord Ruthven should hesitate to deliver it ?" 

" Madam," responded Ruthven, " I belong to a 
family who, as you know, never hesitate to do 
their duty, no matter how painful it may be ; more- 
over, we hope that your captivity has prepared you 
for the communication we bring from the Secret 
Council." 

"The Secret Council!" exclaimed the Queen; 
" by what right, pray, does that body, established 
by me, assume to act without me ? Never mind, 
I will hear your message; I presume it is a 
petition imploring my mercy for those who have 
dared to arrogate the power I hold from God 
alone." 

"Madam," answered Ruthven, who seemed to 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. I47 

* 
be charged with the painful office of spokesman, 

" I am sorry to undeceive you, but it is not your 

clemency we come to ask, but a pardon from the 

Secret Council which we have to offer you." 

"A pardon for me, my lord!" cried Mary; 
"subjects offer a pardon to their Queen! Truly, 
the idea is so astounding that my righteous anger 
is overcome by surprise, and I beg of you to con- 
tinue, instead of commanding you to be silent, as 
probably I ought to do." 

" I obey you the more willingly, madam," 
continued Ruthven imperturbably, "as this par- 
don is offered only upon certain conditions set 
forth in these deeds, which will tend to the pacifi- 
cation of the State, so grievously compromised by 
the misdeeds they are intended to repair." 

" And shall I be permitted to read these deeds, 
my lord, or am I expected to sign them blindly, 
confiding implicitly in the honorable motives of 
those who present them?" 

" Madam," replied Ruthven, " the Secret Coun- 
cil expressly desired that you should have full 
cognizance of the contents. Your signature is 
not compulsory." 

" Then be kind enough to read them to me, my 



148 MAJ^Y STUART, 

lord ; that is, I think, a part of the strange office 
you have undertaken." 

Lord Ruthven unfolded one of the two papers 
he held in his hand, and read the following in his 
usual impassive manner : 

" Called at an early age to the administration of 
the crown and realm of Scotland, we have toiled 
with the utmost diligence therein; but we have 
become so wearied and discouraged in body and 
mind that we no longer feel able to bear the bur- 
den of affairs of State; wherefore, as Heaven has 
blessed us with a son, to whom we are desirous to 
insure, even during our lifetime, the succession to 
the crown which is his by right of birth, we, be- 
cause of the motherly affection we bear our son, 
have renounced and demitted, and by these letters 
of our free good-will renounce and demit, the 
crown, government, and guiding of the realm of 
Scotland in favor of our said son, that he may suc- 
ceed us as native Prince thereof, as if we had been 
removed by death, and not by our proper act. And 
that this demission of our royal authority may have 
more full and solemn effect, we give, grant, and 
confer full, free, and plain power to our trusty 
cousins, Lord Lindsay of Byres, and William 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 149 

Lord Ruthven, to appear in our name before as 
many of the nobility, clergy, and gentry as may 
be assembled at Stirling, and there, in our name 
and behalf, publicly to renounce the crown, guid- 
ance, and government of this our kingdom of 
Scotland. 

" Signed of our own pleasure, and in witness of 
the last expression of our royal will, at our Castle of 
Lochleven, this — day of June, 1567." 

The day of the month was not inserted. 

There was a moment's silence as Ruthven fin- 
ished reading ; then he asked : " Did you under- 
stand, madam.'*" 

" I heard some seditious words which I scarcely 
comprehended," answered the Queen, " and for your 
honor, my Lord William Ruthven, and for yours, 
my Lord Lindsay, I essayed to believe my ears 
deceived me." 

" Madam," interrupted Lindsay, impatient at 
his long silence, " our honor will not be affected by 
the opinion of a woman who has been so careless 
of her own." 

" My lord !" exclaimed Melvil, indignantly taking 
a step toward the rude earl. 

" Let him speak, Melvil," said the Queen ; " my 



I50 MARY STUART, 

conscience is protected by a cuirass of innocence 
as invulnerable as the armor in which my Lord 
Lindsay is so prudently arrayed, although, to the 
shame of justice, we no longer possess a sword. 
Continue, my lord," she added, turning toward 
Ruthven ; " is a date and my signature all that my 
loving and faithful subjects require of me? That 
second document, which you have kept until the 
last, doubtless contains some demand which I 
shall find more difficult to grant than to yield the 
crown, which belongs to me by right of inheritance, 
to a baby barely a year old, and abandon my scep- 
tre for a distaff." 

"This second paper," responded Ruthven, un- 
moved by the Queen's irony, " is an act by which 
your Grace confirms the decision of the Secret 
Council, who have appointed your well-beloved 
brother. Earl of Mar and Murray, Regent of the 
Kingdom." 

"What!" cried Mary, "has the Secret Council 
need of my confirmation of an act of so little im- 
portance, and does my well-loved brother require 
that I should add another title to those I have 
already conferred upon him.^ Really, all this is 
most respectful, most affectionate, most touching, 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 151 

and I should not complain of his fraternal atti- 
tude." She paused for a moment; then, rising 
and drawing herself to her full height, she said 
haughtily : 

" Gentlemen, return to those who sent you, and 
tell them that Mary Stuart has no reply to make to 
such preposterous demands." 

" Beware, madam," said Ruthven, " for^ as I 
have already told you, it is only upon the condi- 
tions here set forth that your pardon will be 
accorded." 

" And what will happen if I refuse this mag- 
nanimous pardon.?" 

"It is not my place to prejudge your cause, 
madam ; but your Grace is sufficiently acquainted 
with the history and laws of both Scotland and 
England to know that murder and adultery are 
crimes for which more than one queen has been 
punished by death." 

" And upon what proofs, pray, am I accused of 
such crimes } Pardon my insistence, which is tak- 
ing up your precious time, but I have so much at 
stake that such a question is surely permissible." 

" There are but two, madam," responded Ruth- 
ven, " but they are irrefutable ; they are the hasty 



152 MAjRY STUART, 

marriage of the widow of a murdered man with the 
chief of his assassins, and the letters which have 
been given to us by James Balfour, which prove 
that the guilty couple's hearts were united before 
their blood-stained hands were joined in wedlock." 
"My lord," cried the Queen, "have you for- 
gotten a certain supper which this same Bothwell 
gave to the very nobles who to-day accuse him of 
adultery and murder ? Have you forgotten that at 
the close of the banquet, and upon the very table 
whereon it had been spread, a document was 
signed urging this woman, whom to-day you 
accuse of criminal haste, to lay aside her widow's 
weeds and don bridal robes ? If you have forgotten 
these facts, my lords, it does no credit either to 
your sobriety or your memories. I have carefully 
preserved that petition, and can lay it before your 
eyes, and, if you look well, you will find among 
the signatures which adorn it the names of Ruth- 
ven and Lindsay. Oh, noble Herri es ! Oh, loyal 
James Melvil!" she cried passionately; "you 
were right when you begged me on your knees not 
to contract this marriage, which, as I now see 
clearly, was but a trap set for an ignorant woman 
by perfidious counsellors or disloyal nobles," 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. I53 

" Madam !" exclaimed Ruthven, beginning to 
lose his temper, in spite of his impassibility, " this 
discussion is irrelevant to the object of our visit; 
kindly give your attention to the matter before 
you, and inform us whether, if your life and honor 
be assured, you will agree to abdicate." 

" What guarantee have I that the promises here 
made will be kept ?" 

" Our word, madam," replied Ruthven haugh- 
tily. 

" Your word, my lord, is a poor pledge to offer 
when you forget your signature so quickly." 

" Enough, Ruthven, enough !" cried Lindsay. 
" Do you not see that for over an hour this woman 
has responded to our proposals only by insults.^ 
Let us begone !" 

** Yes, we will go," replied Ruthven; "you will 
have none but yourself to blame, madam, when 
the thread breaks which holds a sword suspended 
over your head." 

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, pray have patience," 
interposed Sir Robert, " and make some allowance 
for one who, having commanded all her life, must 
now obey." 

" In Heaven's name, then, remain with her !" 



154 MARY STUART, 

said Lindsay, turning angrily away, **and try to 
obtain by your sooth tongue and honeyed words 
what she refuses to our frank and outspoken de- 
mands. In a quarter of an hour we will return — 
and the answer must be ready." 

The two noblemen went out leaving Melvil 
alone with the Queen, and their steps could be 
numbered by the clang of Lindsay's great sword 
against each stair as they descended ; when sure 
that they were out of earshot, Sir Robert threw 
himself at the Queen's feet. 

"Your Majesty," said he, "regretted a few mo- 
ments since you had not followed Lord Herries* 
and my brother's advice. I assure your Grace that 
the counsel I am about to offer is equally good, 
and that if you disregard it you will bitterly re- 
pent. Ah, your Majesty, you cannot tell what 
may happen — you do not comprehend what treach- 
ery your brother is capable of." 

" It seems to me," replied Mary, " that I have 
just been enlightened upon that subject. What 
more can he do.-* I should welcome a public 
trial ; let them but leave me free to plead my own 
cause and you will see that there is not a judge in 
Scotland who will dare condemn me," 



QUEEN OE SCOTS. 155 

" For that very reason they will be careful to 
give you no such opportunity, madame; for it 
would be the height of folly when they have you 
safe in this isolated castle, guarded by your ene- 
mies and with no witness but God, who avenges 
crimes but does not prevent them. Remember 
Machiavelli's words: 'A king's tomb is never far 
from his prison.' You come of a family who die 
young, and almost always a violent death : two of 
your ancestors perished by the sword and one 
by poison." 

"Ah! if death were swift and painless," cried 
Mary, " I would accept it as an expiation of my 
faults : for, though I am proud enough before my 
enemies, I am humble when I search my con- 
science. I am unjustly accused of complicity in 
Darnley's murder, but I am rightly censured for 
marrying Bothwell." 

" Time flies, madame, time flies !" cried Melvil, 
glancing at the hour-glass which stood on the table. 
" They will soon be back, and this time your Ma- 
jesty must answer them. Be guided by me, I im- 
plore you, and make the best that you can of your 
plight. You are here alone with a single female 
attendant, without friends, protectors, or influence : 



156 MARY STUART, 

an abdication signed under such circumstances 
will never appear to your subjects like a voluntary 
act, but always like a compulsory one ; and should 
the day dawn when you are able to protest against 
it you will have two witnesses to the duress under 
which you acted: one will be Mary Seaton, and 
the other," he added in a low tone, glancing un- 
easily at the door — "the other will be Robert 
Melvil." 

He had hardly finished speaking when his com- 
panions were heard mounting the stairs, returning 
before the alloted time had expired. A moment 
later the door was thrown open and Ruthven 
appeared, closely followed by Lindsay. 

"Madam," said the former, "we have returned 
for your answer." 

" Yes," said Lindsay, pushing Lord Ruthven 
aside and approaching the table, " and we want a 
clear, precise, positive answer, without any mental 
reservations." 

"You are exacting, my lord," answered the 
Queen. " You would hardly have the right to expect 
so much of me were I on the other side of Loch- 
leven surrounded by a faithful escort, but within 
these prison walls you would not believe me if I 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 157 

swore I signed freely. However, you desire my 
signature — and you shall have it ; Melvil, hand me 
a pen." 

"I hope, nevertheless," said Lord Ruthven, 
"that your Grace does not contemplate entering 
a protest at some future time against the validity 
of your signature, based upon your present posi- 
tion.?" 

The Queen had already dipped her pen in the 
ink and bent to write, but as Lord Ruthven fin- 
ished speaking she rose haughtily to her feet and 
let the pen fall from her hand : 

"My lord," she said passionately, "a few 
moments ago you simply asked for an abdication, 
and I was about to grant your request, but if a 
postscriptum is to be joined to the act, stating that 
I renounce the crown of Scotland freely, judging 
myself unworthy to sit thereon, then I will not 
sign. No, not for the three crowns which have 
been stolen from me one after another !" 

" Beware, madam !" shouted Lindsay, seizing 
the Queen's arm with his gauntleted hand and 
pressing it with the strength of his anger ; " beware, 
for our patience is at an end, and we might end by 
breaking that which will not bend." 



158 MARY STUART, 

The Queen remained standing, and, though a 
red wave of wrath swept across her fair face, she 
neither spoke nor moved, but her eyes rested with 
such an expression of scorn and contempt upon 
the brutal earl, that, ashamed of the rage to which 
he had yielded and the length to which it had 
carried him, he released her arm and fell back a 
step. Turning up her sleeve and pointing to the 
crimson bruises upon her white skin, the Queen 
said haughtily : 

" This, gentlemen, is what I anticipated, and 
nothing now prevents my signing; yes, I freely 
abdicate the throne and crown of Scotland, and 
here is the proof that I was not coerced." 

She then picked up the pen and rapidly signed 
both documents, handed them to Lord Ruthven, 
and with a stately salute walked slowly to her 
chamber door, followed by Mary Seaton. 

Ruthven watched her until she disappeared. 
"Well," he said, "we have secured her signa- 
ture, and although the method of persuasion you 
adopted, Lindsay, is not habitually used by dip- 
lomats, it was none the less efficacious." 

"A truce to jokes, Ruthven," replied the rough 
soldier, "for she is a noble creature, and had I 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 159 

dared I would have thrown myself at her feet and 
begged her pardon." 

"There is still time," sneered Ruthven, "and 
in her present plight I fancy her Grace will not be 
too hard-hearted. Posssibly she meditates calling 
for some champion to uphold her innocence in the 
lists, and in that case you are just the man to 
change the face of affairs." 

"That will do, Ruthven," returned Lindsay 
angrily; "this is peither the time nor place for 
such pleasantry. But I will tell you one thing: 
if I were as convinced of her innocence as I am 
of her guilt, no living man, not even the Regent, 
should harm a hair of her head." 

" The devil !" exclaimed Ruthven. " I never 
dreamed you were so impressionable. You re- 
member the story of Achilles' lance, whose rust 
healed the wounds it had made } Go you and do 
likewise, my lord." 

" Enough, Ruthven, enough," Lindsay rejoined. 
"You resemble a cuirass of Milan steel, which 
is lighter and a thousand times more brilliant than 
our dull Scottish armor, yet far more difficult to 
pierce. We understand each other, Ruthven, so 
a truce to raillery." With that he strode from the 



i6o MAJ^y STUART, 

room, followed by Ruthven and Melvil, the former 
with an affected air of insolent indifference, the 
latter with sad face and drooping head, not even 
attempting to disguise the painful impression 
made by the scene just enacted. 

Mary remained in her chamber until evening, 
when she took a seat by the window looking upon 
the lake ; at the accustomed hour she beheld the 
light twinkle cheerily in the little cottage on 
Kinross, and for a long and weary month it was her 
only consolation, and she drew courage nightly 
from its steady, faithful flame. 

At last, as she had about despaired of George 
Douglas' return, she went to her window one 
morning and immediately uttered a cry of delight. 
Mary Seaton ran to her side and the Queen silently 
pointed to a little skiff anchored not far from the 
shore ; in it were George and the boy Douglas in- 
dulging in their favorite amusement. The young 
man had arrived the night before, but as every 
one was accustomed to his unannounced arrivals, 
the sentinel did not even sound the horn, and the 
Queen had not dreamed that, at last, her friend 
was near her. 

Three days passed, however, before she saw the 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. i6i 

young man save, as at first, upon the lake. He 
spent all his time on the water, from whence he 
could watch the Queen's windows and encourage 
the captive by smiles and an occasional furtive 
signal. 

At last, on the fourth morning after his return, 
Mary was awakened by the baying of hounds and 
the sound of horns. She flew to the window, for 
everything interests a prisoner, and saw William 
Douglas embarking with his dogs, whippers-in, and 
huntsmen, to indulge for one day in an occupation 
more in accordance with his rank and birth than 
the duties he had so conscientiously fulfilled. 

The Queen trembled with joy, for she hoped 
that Lady Douglas was still too incensed to un- 
dertake William's duties and that George would 
replace him. She was not disappointed; at the 
usual time she heard the steps of those who 
brought her breakfast, the door opened, and George 
entered, preceded by the servants who carried the 
meal. He barely saluted the Queen, and she 
returned his bow with a disdainful air, but when 
the servants had left the room she exclaimed joy- 
ously : 

" At last you have returned !" 



i62 MARY STUART, 

Signing her to be silent, he crossed the room 
and listened at the door of the antechamber until 
assured that no one had remained to spy upon 
him ; then he knelt before Mary, kissed her hand 
respectfully, and said : 

^'Yes, your Majesty, I am back at last, and, 
thank Heaven, I bring good news." 

"Ah, tell it me quickly," said the Queen, "for 
life within these walls is torture, and I sorely 
need encouragement. You know who has been 
here, I presume, and that I was forced to sign an 
abdication." 

"Yes, madam, and we know that it was by 
violence that your signature was obtained, and, if 
possible, our devotion is the greater because of 
what your Grace has undergone." 

" "What have you accomplished .?" 

"The Seatons and Hamiltons, who, as your 
Majesty knows, are your most faithful allies," — 
the Queen turned and held out her hand to Mary 
Seat on with an affectionate smile — " have already 
mustered their troops and are ready to move at 
the first signal. But, as their forces alone are 
not sufficiently strong to take the field, they will 
advance directly to Dumbarton, whose governor is 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 163 

friendly, and the situation and strength of that 
place will enable them to hold out against Murray 
until all the faithful hearts in Scotland have time 
to rally round your standard there." 

" I see the wisdom of the plan," said the Queen, 
" and have no fear as to what we shall do when I 
have regained my liberty ; but how am I to escape 
from here ?" 

" That too is planned," George responded, " but 
the success of the scheme depends on your Maj- 
esty's courage and coolness." 

" If I am only required to display courage and 
self-possession," returned Mary, "you have naught 
to fear from me, for neither the one nor the other 
ever failed me." 

" Here is a file," continued George, handing 
the tool to Mary Seaton, as if he deemed it un- 
worthy to touch the Queen's hands, "and this 
evening I will bring the cords with which to make 
a ladder, and you must cut through one of the bars 
in that window, which is only twenty feet from 
the ground ; and on the night set for your escape I 
will mount by it, both to test its strength and to as- 
sist you to descend ; one of the garrison is in my 
pay and will open the door in the garden wall, at 



i64 MAJ^y STUART, 

which he is on guard — once outside you will be 
safe." 

"And for what night must we be ready?" in- 
quired the Queen eagerly. 

"That I cannot tell your Majesty yet," an- 
swered George, "for we must wait for two 
things : first, until a sufficient escort is assembled 
at Kinross to insure your Grace's safety ; secondly, 
until it is Warden's turn to take the night watch 
at the postern through which you must pass to 
freedom." 

" How will you know when the time comes } — 
shall you remain in the castle.?" 

" No, madam, for here I am a useless, perhaps 
a dangerous, friend, while on the other side of the 
lake I can aid you effectively." 

" But how will you know when Warden's turn 
of duty arrives .?" 

" I shall have a signal : the weathercock of the 
north tower, instead of turning in the wind like the 
others, will remain fixed." 

"And I," inquired Mary anxiously, "how shall I 
be informed.?" 

"That too is provided for; the light which 
shines nightly from Kinross and tells you that your 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 165 

friends are ever on the watch, will be your inform- 
ant. When you wish to know whether the hour 
of your deliverance is near, or is still uncertain, 
set a light in this window overlooking the moor, 
and the other will then immediately disappear. 
Then lay your hand against your heart and count 
its beats, and if they number twenty before the 
beacon shines again you will know that no date has 
been set ; if you have counted but ten, you may 
know that the hour is near ; if but five, you will un- 
derstand that your escape is to be made on the 
following night ; but if the light does not reappear 
at all, you may know that the time has come and 
must make your preparations at once. In the latter 
case the hoot of an owl, twice repeated from the 
court-yard, will be your signal to let down the 
ladder." 

" Ah, Douglas !" exclaimed the Queen, giving 
him her hand to kiss, " you alone could have for- 
seen and provided for everything, and I am grate- 
ful beyond words for your devotion." 

A vivid blush mantled the young man's features, 
but with an effort he mastered his emotion and 
repressed the desire to speak of the passion that 
consumed him ; he knelt humbly before Mary and 



i66 MA^Y STUART, 

kissed her hand with such respectful devotion that 
no one could have seen in the action anything 
more than the homage of loyalty and fidelity ; he 
then left the room, fearing a more protracted stay 
might arouse suspicion. 

At dinner-time Douglas brought a piece of rope, 
as he had promised, and late that night Mary 
Seaton, according to instructions, let it fall from 
the window which looked on the court-yard, and he 
attached another piece of sufficient length to make 
the ladder, which she managed to draw up without 
attracting attention, and on the following day the 
young man left the castle. 

The Queen and Mary Seaton lost no time in 
making the rope ladder, and completed it on the 
third day after Douglas' visit ; that evening, rather 
to assure herself of the vigilance of her adherents 
than from hope that the hour of her deliverance 
was at hand, the Queen placed a lamp in the des- 
ignated window; instantly, as Douglas had prom- 
ised, the light in Kinross disappeared and Mary 
counted up to twenty-two before it shone again ; 
her rescuers were faithful, but nothing was de- 
cided on. 

For a week she questioned the cheering beacon 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 167 

with the same result, but on the eighth evening 
the light reappeared as she counted eleven. 

Unable to believe that she was not mistaken, 
Mary waited an hour and then again set her signal 
in the window ; her unknown correspondent com- 
prehended that she was questioning anew and 
promptly withdrew his light, but before she had 
counted twelve the star of hope shone again in the 
distance. There was no longer room for doubt, 
her friends had determined upon their plans. The 
Queen passed a sleepless night ; the patient per- 
sistence and devotion of her friends moved her to 
tears of gratitude, while the knowledge that she 
must soon make so desperate an attempt rendered 
her nervous and tremulous. When day dawned she 
woke her companion and questioned her repeatedly 
to assure herself that the occurrence of the previous 
evening was not all a dream. Every sound startled 
her and seemed to indicate that the plan upon 
which her liberty depended had been discovered, 
and when William Douglas entered her apart- 
ment at breakfast-time she hardly dared look at 
him lest she should see in his eyes that all was 
lost. 

For five nights the indications remained the 



1 68 MARY STUART, 

same, but on the sixth the light disappeared before 
the Queen had counted five, on perceiving which 
she sank into Mary Seaton's arms faint with ex- 
citement; her escape was to be effected the fol- 
lowing evening. After a little she repeated the 
signal, and received the same reply, so that there 
was no room for doubt. All was in readiness, 
save the prisoner's courage ; that failed for an in- 
stant, and had not Mary Seaton supported her to a 
chair she would have fallen helplessly to the floor ; 
but, the first intense agitation passed, she recovered 
her self-possession, and became stronger and more 
determined than ever. 

The Queen remained at her post of observation 
until midnight, her eyes fixed upon the blessed ray 
of hope; at last Mary Seaton persuaded her to 
retire, promising, if she could not sleep, to read 
some of M. Ronsard's poems aloud ; but the Queen 
did not care to listen to any secular work at that 
solemn moment and requested her to read from the 
prayer-book ; she made all the responses as if she 
was at church, but toward dawn she fell asleep, 
and Mary Seaton, exhausted, slept in her chair by 
the bedside. 

She was wakened a few hours later by the touch 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 169 

of a hand on her shoulder; it was the Queen, who 
was already up and dressed. 

" Come, dearest," she said, " and see what a 
beautiful day God has sent us ; it seems as if all 
nature smiled upon my undertaking. Surely 
Heaven is on my side." 

"Madam," responded her companion, "I had 
rather the weather was less fine and promised a 
darker night. It is darkness rather than light we 
must pray for." 

" Listen, dear," answered the Queen, "it is by 
that token that we shall know if God is really for 
us. If the weather remains clear I shall believe 
that He has abandoned me, but if it becomes over- 
cast I shall be convinced that He protects me." 

Mary Seaton smiled and nodded in approbation 
of her mistress' superstitious suggestion, and the 
Queen, unable to keep quiet, began to move rest- 
lessly about the rooms, collecting the few jewels and 
articles of value she had preserved, and selecting a 
black gown for the evening, which was destined to 
aid the night in concealing her flight. These prep- 
arations completed, she took her post at the window 
and remained gazing at the little cottage, which, as 
usual, appeared desolate and uninhabited. 



1 70 MA R Y STUAR T, 

Her heart was so full of pleasant anticipations 
that when William Douglas arrived with the 
breakfast she received him with unwonted gracious- 
ness, and it was with the greatest difficulty that she 
maintained her customary reserve and remained 
seated for the length of time usually consumed by 
the meal. However, she controlled her nervous- 
ness, and William retired apparently unconscious 
of her agitation. As soon as the door closed be- 
hind her jailor, Mary flew back to the window; 
she thirsted for the free air and gazed hungrily 
upon the vast expanse of country spread out 
before her, anticipating the moment when she 
should tread the heather as free as the birds 
which flew joyously past her windows; it seemed 
to her that once she had gained her liberty she 
would never again immure herself within palace 
walls, but would pass her days roaming through 
the fields and woods. In the midst of her day- 
dreams she was frequently seized with a strange 
fear, a chill sense of utter helplessness ; at such 
moments she turned to Mary Seaton for encourage- 
ment and support, and the girl spoke cheerful, 
hopeful words, but rather from a sense of duty than 
from conviction. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 171 

The hours dragged slowly by ; toward evening 
the Queen observed light clouds gathering on the 
horizon, and called her companion to witness the 
evidence of God's protection. While the captives 
watched the sky the dinner-hour arrived, and the 
Queen was again constrained to a half-hour of 
dissimulation, which was the more disagreeable, 
as, doubtless from gratitude for her Majesty's 
amiability at breakfast, William Douglas thought 
himself obliged to make several complimentary 
speeches, which forced Mary to pay him more 
attention than her preoccupation inclined her 
to; however, Douglas did not appear to notice 
her absent-mindedness, and everything passed off 
smoothly as at breakfast. 

When he had retired the Queen again interro- 
gated the heavens ; the clouds which had floated 
lightly across the sky an hour before had thick- 
ened and spread until the azure had given place to 
a dull gray pall ; night closed in early and the 
beacon shone as usual, but upon the Queen's 
signaling it instantly vanished, and, although she 
watched until nine o'clock, not a glimmer was 
again visible. 

The castle bell rang ten o'clock, the sentinels 



172 MARY STUART, 

were relieved, and Mary heard the patrol pass under 
her window ; their footsteps died away and all was 
silence once more ; an hour crawled by, and then, 
suddenly, an owl's mournful cry rose from the gar- 
den; the supreme moment had come, and the 
Queen's strength and courage sprang up to meet it. 
She whispered to Mary Seaton to remove the filed 
bar and lower the ladder; then, extinguishing the 
light and taking the little casket which contained 
her valuables, she waited silently for George 
Douglas' appearance. 

After a few moments, which seemed incredibly 
long to the waiting women, a dark form climbed 
through the window and a familiar voice whis- 
pered : 

" Is your Majesty ready.?" 

" Yes," answered Mary in the same low tone. 

"Then all is well, madam, for your friends 
await you on the other side of the lake, Warden 
guards the postern, and God has sent us a dark 
night." 

By way of response the Queen extended her 
hand, which George bent the knee to kiss and lifted 
to his lips, but as he touched it he started, for it 
was icy cold and trembling. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 173 

"In heaven's name, madam," he exclaimed, 
" be brave, you must not falter now." 

" Our Lady of Succor, be thou our helper," 
murmured Mary. 

" Call upon the spirits of your royal ancestors 
for aid," said George, " for at this moment it is not 
Christian resignation you need, but queenly courage 
and resolution." 

"Oh, Douglas, Douglas," murmured Mary 
plaintively, " an astrologer once prophesied that I 
would die a violent death in prison; has not the 
hour arrived when his prophecy is to be fulfilled.'*" 

" Perhaps so," answered George coolly, " but it 
is better to die courageously, and like a queen, 
than to live in this old castle a calumniated pris- 
oner." 

" You are right," said the Queen, " but a woman 
is a creature of impulse and must yield to her 
nature ; forgive my feminine fears." Then, after 
a moment's silence, she added, " Come, I am 
ready." 

George at once returned to the window, and, 
having assured himslf that the ladder was firmly 
attached, stepped out upon it, grasping the bar 
firmly with one hand and holding out the other to 



174 MAJ^y STUART, 

the Queen. She had just stepped on a stool and 
poised one foot on the casement, when a cry of 
"Who goes there?" rang out from the foot of the 
tower. Mary instinctively drew back into the 
room ; George, on the contrary, clung to the ladder, 
striving to pierce the darkness and see who ut- 
tered the challenge. A moment later a shot was 
fired and at the same instant the alarm bell clam- 
ored loudly, while cries of " Treason ! Treason !" 
and " To arms ! to arms !" resounded on all sides of 
the castle. 

" Yes, treason ! " cried George, leaping back 
into the room; "that scoundrel Warden has be^ 
trayed us." 

Then running to the Queen's side, apparently 
unmoved by his own danger, he said hastily : 

"Do not lose heart, your Majesty, for all hope 
is not lost, and no matter what happens now — and 
you will probably never see me again — remember 
you still have a friend within these walls in the 
person of my little cousin." 

He had barely finished speaking when the door 
was burst open, and William and Lady Douglas, 
followed by a crowd of soldiers and servants bear- 
ing torches, rushed into the room. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 175 

"There, mother," cried William, pointing to 
his brother, who stood before the Queen shielding 
her with his body, " are you convinced ? Do you 
believe me now?" 

For a moment the old lady seemed unable to 
speak ; she turned deadly pale and tore at the ruff 
round her throat as if choking ; then, tottering for- 
ward, she cried : 

" Speak, my son, speak, and clear yourself of the 
charge which impugns your honor ! Say simply, 
*A Douglas never fails in his duty,' and I will be- 
lieve you." 

- "Yes, mother," interrupted William, "a Doug- 
las invariably does his duty, but this man is no 
Douglas !" 

"O God!" cried Lady Douglas, "give me 
strength to bear the sorrow which one son has 
brought upon me, and patience to endure the 
insults of the other. O woman born under a 
baleful star," she continued passionately, address- 
ing the Queen, " when will you cease to be a tool 
in the hands of the devil for the ruin and destruc- 
tion of all who approach you ? Cursed be the hour 
when you crossed my threshold !" 

" Do not say that, mother," exclaimed George, 



176 MARY STUART, 

"but rather bless her Majesty's coming, which has 
proved that if there are some of Douglas blood who 
have forgotten the fealty a subject owes his sover- 
eign, there are others who are still loyal." 

" Douglas ! Douglas !" murmured Mary, " did I 
not predict this ?" 

" And did I not answer," returned George, " that 
any loyal subject would feel it an honor and a joy 
to lay down his life for you ?" 

" Then die !" cried his brother, rushing upon him 
with uplifted sword. George sprang to one side, 
and drawing his weapon with a movement as swift 
as thought and instinct with hate, stood on the 
defensive. 

"Not another movement, William Douglas!'* 
cried the Queen, throwing herself between them, 
" and you, George, put up your sword, or, if you 
must use it to make good your escape, let it be 
against any but your brother. I still have need 
of your life, so guard it well." 

" My life, like my sword and my honor, are at 
your disposition, madam, and as ever I obey your 
commands." 

While speaking he glanced sharply round the 
room, noting the position of every one present, and 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 177 

as he uttered the last word he suddenly darted 
to the door, crying to those who stood in his 
path: 

" Make way, if you value your lives !" 

" Stop him," cried William Douglas, " seize 
him, dead or alive ! Fire on him — kill him like a 
dog!" 

Two or three soldiers, fearing to disobey, feigned 
to pursue the young man, one or two shots were 
heard without the castle, and a voice cried that he 
had thrown himself into the lake. 

" He has escaped !" cried William furiously. 

The Queen heaved a sigh of relief, and the old 
lady lifted her eyes toward heaven, while her lips 
moved as if in thanksgiving. 

"That is right, mother," snarled William; 
" thank God for your bastard's escape, for it brings 
lasting disgrace upon the name of Douglas. From 
this hour we shall all be looked upon as accom- 
plices in his treason." 

" Have pity on me, William," moaned Lady 
Douglas, wringing her hands; "in God's name 
have mercy on your old mother ! Do you not see 
that this has almost killed me.?" 

Even as she spoke she staggered back, pale and 

12 



178 MARY STUART, 

trembling, and would have fallen had not the old 
steward sprung to her assistance. 

"I think, my lord," said Mary Seaton, "that 
your mother requires your attention as much as 
her Majesty needs rest; do you not think you had 
better withdraw ?" 

"Ay, that you may have time to weave new 
webs and think whom you may ensnare! Very 
well, do your best, you have seen that it is not easy 
to fool William Douglas ; play your game and I will 
play mine. Begone, all of you," he added, turning 
toward the servants and soldiers who still filled the 
room ; then, passing an arm round his mother, who 
was scarcely able to stand, he departed, and the 
Queen heard him lock and bolt the door of her 
prison. 

Left alone the two women looked at each other 
in mute despair, and the Queen threw herself into 
a chair and sobbed as if her heart would break. 
Pride had sustained her in the face of her enemies, 
but once alone the horror of her situation appalled 
and overwhelmed her ; dethroned and a prisoner in 
that impregnable fortress, with no friend save a 
mere child, whom she had hardly noticed, what 
remained to her of her two thrones and her two- 



i 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 179 

fold power ? Alas, only her name was left. With 
that, were she at liberty, she might have shaken 
Scotland to its foundations, but immured in Loch- 
leven, with only a child for a connecting link be- 
tween her and her friends and future hopes, what 
good could it do her ? It must gradually fade from 
the hearts of her partisans, and would, perhaps 
even during her lifetime, be shrouded in oblivion 
as in a winding-sheet. Such a thought was tor- 
ture to so proud a nature as Mary Stuart's, whose 
organization needed light and sunshine like a 
flower. 

Happily the best beloved of her four Mary's was 
still at her side, and tender, faithful, and devoted 
strove to comfort and encourage her. But it was 
no light task at this moment, and her grief -stricken 
mistress responded only with sobs and tears to her 
loving attentions and hopeful words, and she had 
almost given up in despair, when, glancing toward 
the window, she saw the friendly beacon shining 
in the distance. 

" Look, your Grace, look !" she cried, raising 
the Queen in her arms and pointing to the never- 
failing emblem of hope, " see, the beacon is still 
shining ; you are not yet friendless." 



i8o MAJ^y STUART, 

" My God, I thank thee," murmured Mary, fall- 
ing on her knees. " Through thy mercy Douglas 
is safe, and friends still watch over me." 

From that night the Queen was truly a prisoner ; 
she was not permitted to enter the garden save 
under the surveillance of two soldiers, and the 
constraint of this arrangement was so irksome and 
humiliating, that she relinquished her sole dis- 
traction and secluded herself in her apartments, 
taking a certain bitter pride in the extent of her 
misery. 

A fortnight after the events we have just de- 
scribed, as her Majesty and Mary Seaton were sit- 
ting over their tapestry one evening, a stone 
thrown from the garden passed between the win- 
dow bars and fell upon the floor ; the Queen first 
supposed that it was either an accident or an in- 
sult, but on picking up the missile Mary Seaton 
discovered that it was wrapped in a piece of paper; 
she carefully unrolled it and, smoothing out the 
creases, laid it before her mistress, who read the 
following : 

*' Your Majesty commanded me to preserve my 
life and I obeyed, and your Grace knows by the light 
at Kinross that your devoted servants still watch 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. l8l 

over you. In order not to rouse suspicion, the sol- 
diers who were assembled here on that calamitous 
night were dispersed at daybreak, and they will not 
be reassembled here until another attempt to lib- 
erate you renders their presence necessary. It 
would be disastrous to make such an attempt at 
present, when your Majesty's jailers are on their 
guard; we will, therefore, permit them to take 
every precaution, and wait until time and security 
have lulled their fears ; but we shall never cease to 
watch over your Grace or to pray and plan for your 
liberation. I beseech your Majesty to be patient 
and not to lose courage. G. D." 

" Oh, brave and loyal heart !" exclaimed the 
Queen; "he is more steadfast in our misfortune 
than others were in our prosperity; may Heaven 
reward his kindness to the captive. Yes, I will be 
patient and courageous, and while that light shines 
I will believe I shall yet be free." 

This letter restored all Mary's courage, for it not 
only proved the unwearying devotion of her friends, 
but that she could communicate with them through 
little Douglas. She lost no time in writing a let- 
ter to George wherein she charged him to convey 
her gratitude to the nobles who had signed the pro- 



1 82 MAJ^Y STUART. 

test, and to implore them, in the name of the faith 
they had sworn her, not to grow cold in her ser- 
vice, and promising, on her own part, to await the 
result of their efforts with the patience and cour- 
age which they enjoined upon her. 

The ensuing morning she observed little Doug- 
las playing in the garden, and after a few moments 
he came to the foot of the tower and set to work 
fashioning a snare for birds. The Queen looked 
to see if she was observed, and having made sure 
that the garden was deserted, dropped the stone in 
which she had enveloped her letter. At first she 
feared she had erred, for the boy did not move at 
the noise of the falling stone, and it was not for 
some minutes — during which the prisoner's heart 
throbbed anxiously — that he turned indifferently 
and, as if searching for something needed in his 
work, picked up the stone, nonchalantly stuffed it 
into his pocket, and continued to work at the trap 
as though he had no interest in life save its proper 
adjustment; thus showing the Queen, by a self- 
control beyond his years, what a trustworthy mes- 
senger he was. 

From that moment Mary took a new hold on 
hope ; but days, weeks, and months passed without 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 183 

altering her situation. Winter came and she saw 
the snow lie deep on plain and mountain, while 
the lake offered her a solid road on which to pass 
to freedom, but not a single letter reached her and 
it was only by the beacon which shone nightly that 
she knew her friends were faithful. 

Nature had wakened from her deathlike sleep, a 
few furtive rays of sunlight had pierced the sombre, 
Scottish sky, the snow had melted, the lake broken 
its icy chains, and the first green buds appeared be- 
fore the Queen received a second message from the 
outer world. One night, as she sat wistfully gazing 
toward the open moorland, she was startled by the 
unusual fluctuations of the beacon; surmising that 
her unseen friend had something to tell she set a 
light in her window, upon which the signal van- 
ished, but it flashed up again as she counted eleven, 
and almost simultaneously a stone flew through the 
window and fell at her feet : like its predecessor it 
was wrapped in a letter from George Douglas. 

" Summon all your courage, " he wrote, " for the 
time is at hand and your friends are assembled. 
To-morrow night at eleven o'clock drop a cord 
from your window, and draw up the package which 
will be attached to it," 



1 84 MAJ^y STUART, 

The superfluous cord from the rope ladder still 
remained hidden in the Queen's chamber, and on 
the following night the captives, leaving their 
lamp in the bedroom so that its rays might not be- 
tray them, dropped the cord from the window. 
After a moment Mary Seaton, who held the rope, 
perceived from its movements that something was 
being attached, and a sharp jerk presently warned 
her to pull it up ; she succeeded in raising a large 
package to the level of the window, but then dis- 
covered that it was too bulky to be taken through 
the bars. The Queen, however, came to her assist- 
ance and unfastened the bundle, and they then 
drew in the articles one by one. Hastily securing 
the rope, they carried everything into the bedroom 
and after barricading the door began their inven- 
tory ; the contents of the package proved to be two 
complete suits of Douglas livery. Completely 
nonplussed, they helplessly turned the garments 
over and over, until, finally, Mary Seaton discov- 
ered a slip of paper sewn to the collar of one of the 
doublets and tearing it open they read as follows : 

** Sheer audacity alone will enable your Majesty 
to regain your liberty ; we therefore beg your Maj- 
esty to read this letter carefully, and should you 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 185 

deign to accept the proposed plan, to follow the in- 
structions herein given minutely. 

" The castle keys never leave the old steward's 
belt until curfew has rung and he has gone the 
rounds of the castle and assured himself that every 
door and window is securely fastened ; he then re- 
mits them to William Douglas, who if he is on 
guard attaches them to his sword-belt, and if he 
sleeps lays them under his pillow. 

" Little Douglas has long been allowed to work 
at the armorer's forge in the castle, and for the 
past five months he has been surreptitiously forg- 
ing a set of keys, sufficiently like the genuine ones 
to deceive William if the substitution can be ef- 
fected. Yesterday he completed his task, and as 
soon as a favorable opportunity presents itself he 
will make the exchange, and going to your Maj- 
esty's apartment he will open your doors and con- 
duct your Grace and Miss Seaton out of the castle 
to a boat which will await you. By nightly inter- 
rogating the signal your Grace will be made aware 
of the appointed time, and up to that night, both 
in order to accustom yourselves to the costume and 
to give the liveries the appearance of having been 
worn, your Majesty and Miss Seaton are requested 



i86 MARY STUART, 

to wear them nightly from nine o'clock until mid- 
night. It is, moreover, desirous that you should 
be prepared to escape upon a moment's notice, as 
little Douglas may have an unexpected chance of 
getting you out of Lochleven. 

" The clothes should be a perfect fit for your 
Majesty and your attendant, as Miss Mary Fleming 
and Miss Mary Livingstone, who are much the 
same figures, were measured for them. 

" We cannot impress too strongly upon your Maj- 
esty the necessity for that coolness and courage of 
which you have proved yourself possessed upon 
previous occasions." 

The captives were astounded by the daring of 
this plan and gazed at each other in consternation, 
for it seemed to them that success was out of the 
question; nevertheless they tried on their dis- 
guises, and found that they did indeed fit perfectly. 

Obedient to the instructions contained in the 
letter, the prisoners regularly questioned the light 
and donned their liveries, but for a whole tedious 
month they received no news ; at last, however, on 
the morning of the 2d of May, 1 568, the Queen 
was awakened by the notes of a bugle, and hasten- 
ing to her usual post of observation she beheld a 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 187 

band of cavaliers, displaying the Douglas banner, 
standing on the lake shore ; as she watched boats 
were hurriedly manned and dispatched to bring 
them to the castle. 

Mary was greatly alarmed, for at that juncture 
the least change in the regular routine of Loch- 
leven was to be dreaded, as it might overthrow all 
their carefully laid plans. Her apprehension re- 
doubled as the boats neared the castle and she 
recognized, standing in the foremost. Lord Doug- 
las, husband of the chatelaine of Lochleven, and 
father of William and George ; the old noble, who 
was Guardian of the Marches in the North, had 
returned to his old home for the first time in three 
years. His coming was a great event for the in- 
habitants of the fortress, and shortly after he en- 
tered the castle the old steward ceremoniously an- 
nounced his arrival to the Queen and invited her 
to grace the dinner to be given that night in cele- 
bration of his master's return; whether from in- 
stinct or repugnance Mary refused. 

Lord Douglas was a true feudal seignior and 
travelled with a princely retinue; the old castle 
was filled with unwonted life and bustle ; strange 
squires, soldiers, and servants passed continually 



l88 MARY STUART, 

below the Queen's window, and she observed that 
the servants wore livery like that sent to herself 
and companion. 

The Queen waited with feverish impatience for 
night The evening before she had questioned the 
signal and been informed that the time was near ; 
now she was apprehensive that Lord Douglas' re- 
turn had deranged all their arrangements, and that 
the light, when it appeared, would announce a post- 
ponement ; therefore, the instant she perceived the 
distant gleam she signalled it ; the beacon imme- 
diately disappeared and the Queen, greatly agi- 
tated, began to count. She reached fifty without 
its reappearing, then terrified at the mere thought 
of such a perilous undertaking, and almost unwill- 
ing to believe it was at hand, she turned away 
and began to pace the room nervously. At the 
end of a half- hour she again strove to question her 
unknown friend but obtained no response ; the cot- 
tage on Kinross remained wrapped in darkness — 
the escape was certainly to be attempted that very 
night. 

Little dreaming that such a venture would be 
essayed that night, the prisoners had neglected to 
don male attire ; trembling between hope and fear 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 189 

they hastened to the Queen's bedroom, barricaded 
the door, and hurriedly changed petticoats and crin- 
oline for doublet and hose. Their toilets were 
barely completed when the sound of a key grating 
in the lock reached their ears ; blowing out their 
light they clung to each other and waited in sus- 
pense for the intruder to reveal himself. Light 
steps crossed the drawing-room floor, some one 
tapped gently; the Queen asked "Who is there.'*" 
and a child's voice answered with the words of an 

old ballad : 

"Douglas, Douglas, 
Tender and true." 

It was the countersign George Douglas had 
given them, and the Queen threw wide the door. 

The drawing-room was in darkness ; but the boy 
stretched out his hand until it touched the Queen's, 
and in the soft light of the summer's night Mary 
Stuart saw the gallant little fellow kneel before 
her, and felt the touch of his lips upon her fingers. 

"Is your Majesty prepared to follow me .'*" the 
lad asked in a whisper as he rose. 

" Yes, my child," answered Mary, " but is it 
really to be to-night?" 

" With your Majesty's permission, yes." 



190 MAJ^Y STUART, 

" Is everything ready ?" 

" All is arranged." 

"What have we to do?" 

" Simply follow me wherever I go." 

" O merciful God !" cried Mary, " have pity on 
us." Then, falling upon her knees she prayed 
silently, while Mary Seaton secured the casket 
which contained her Majesty's jewels and made 
the final preparations for their flight, while the 
boy stood patiently, almost reverently, watch- 
ing. 

Finally the Queen rose; " I am ready," she said 
quietly, " and you, dearest .?" 

" I too," answered Mary Seaton firmly. 

" Come then," said the boy. He led the way 
and the prisoners followed, the Queen going first 
and Mary Seaton keeping close behind her. 

Their young conductor carefully locked the door 
after them, so that when the guard passed he 
should see nothing amiss, and they then began to 
descend the winding stairs ; when half-way down 
wild bursts of laughter, a confusion of voices, 
and the click of glasses reached their ears ; and 
the Queen, laying a hand on her guide's shoulder, 
asked unsteadily : 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, I9I 

" Where are you leading us ?" 

" Out of the castle," he replied concisely. 

" But we must pass through the great hall." 

" We must indeed, madam, and that is exactly 
what George foresaw and provided for. In the 
crowd of servants wearing the same livery as your 
Majesty, you will pass unnoticed." 

"Oh, blessed Virgin!" murmured the Queen, 
leaning against the wall. 

" For God's sake take courage, madam," whis- 
pered Mary Seaton, '' or we are lost." 

" You are right," responded the Queen in the 
same tone, " let us go on." 

At the foot of the stairs little Douglas stopped, 
and taking a stone jug filled with wine, presented 
it to the Queen. 

" Place this upon your right shoulder," he said, 
" it will conceal your face from those at the table, 
and if you are carrying something you will be less 
liable to notice. You, Miss Seaton, must give 
me that casket, and carry this basket of bread upon 
your head — steady it with your right hand — so — 
that is right. Now are you ready, and are you 
equal to what lies before you ?" 

" Yes," the two women answered simultaneously. 



19^ MAJ^V STUART, 

" Then follow me, but do not appear to notice 
me." 

The boy continued his course, and after a few 
steps the fugitives found themselves in a kind of 
antechamber leading to the great hall ; a number 
of servants were busy there, but as none of them 
paid the least attention to the Queen she was some- 
what encouraged and followed little Douglas into 
the banquet hall with a firm step. 

Lord Douglas and his guests were seated at a 
long table graduated according to their rank; 
dessert had just been served and the company had 
therefore reached the gayest part of the supper, 
and, occupied with one another and the good cheer 
before them, paid scant attention to what passed 
in the room. Moreover the hall was so vast that 
the lamps and candles which burned upon the table 
did not suffice to illuminate it, and while it was 
bright about the guests, the sides of the room were 
but poorly lighted. The Queen and her attendant 
mingled with the numerous servants waiting upon 
the revellers, and each one being intent upon his 
task they traversed the apartment unobserved and 
entered a vestibule corresponding to that on the 
opposite side. Here the Queen set down her jug 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 193 

and Mary Seaton her basket ; they then followed 
the child down a corridor opening into the court- 
yard. A sentinel was posted at the entrance, but 
he paid no attention to them, and they followed 
their guide across the court ; on the opposite side 
they were obliged to stop until he found the key 
which opened the garden door; it was a moment 
of inexpressible suspense, but finally the lock 
yielded, the door swung open, and the prisoners 
precipitated themselves into the garden, and 
paused in the shadow of the trees to recover confi- 
dence, while the boy cautiously relocked the door. 

When they were half-way across the enclosure 
the boy raised his hand and signed for them to 
stop • laying the casket and keys upon the grass, he 
raised his hands to his mouth and uttered a cry so 
precisely like that of an owl that it was almost 
impossible to believe a human voice had made the 
sound; then, picking up the casket and keys, he 
continued his course on tiptoe, listening intently 
the while. 

On reaching the wall at the extremity of the 

garden he paused a second time, and waited with 

evident anxiety ; the silence was unbroken save by 

the laughter which rang out from the banquet hall, 

13 



194 MAJ^y BTUART, 

the soughing of the wind in the trees and the lap- 
ping of the water on the pebbly beach beyond the 
wall; suddenly a moan was heard, then a sound 
like that of a body falling, and a moment later an 
owl hooted thrice. 

" It is done," said Little Douglas coolly, " come 
on." 

"What is done," demanded the Queen, "and 
what was that groan we heard?" 

" There was a sentinel at the postern," respond- 
ed the boy, " but he is not there now." 

The Queen shuddered, and cold drops stood on 
her forehead ; she understood that a life had been 
sacrificed for her. Trembling in every limb, she 
leaned upon Mary Seaton, whose strength was 
nearly exhausted, and as they gazed in affright in 
each other's faces little Douglas tranquilly tried 
to unlock the postern, and at last it swung on its 
hinges. 

"The Queen.?" whispered a voice from the 
other side. 

" She is here," answered the boy. 

George Douglas, for it was he, sprang into the 
garden and, throwing one arm about the Queen 
and the other round Mary Seaton, almost carried 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 195 

them to the border of the lake ; as she passed the 
door the Queen looked uneasily about her and 
espied a dark, shapeless mass huddled at the foot 
of the wall, at sight of which she shuddered 
violently : 

" Do not pity him, madam," whispered George, 
"for Heaven's justice has overtaken him. That 
man was the scoundrel, Warden, who betrayed us." 

"Alas," murmured the Queen, "guilty though 
he was, he nevertheless came to his death because 
of me." 

" When your safety is in question, madam, 
your friends cannot stop to haggle over the shed- 
ding of ignoble blood," answered Douglas. " But 
hush ! we must be careful. This way, Willie, keep 
close in the shadow of the wall ; the boat lies but 
ten feet distant." 

With that he drew the fugitives along more 
swiftly, and all arrived in safety at the place where 
a little boat awaited them in the shadow of one of 
the great towers ; at their approach four oarsmen, 
who were lying on the boat's bottom, rose to their 
feet, and one of them leaped ashore and drew the 
little craft up so that the Queen and her compan- 
ion could step aboard. Douglas seated them at 



196 MARY STUART, 

the bow, the boy took his place at the tiller, and 
George, with his foot on the beach, gave a vigorous 
push, which sent the boat well out on to the 
water, and in an instant they were skimming over 
the lake. 

"Now," exclaimed George exultingly, "you are 
out of danger, for they might as well pursue a sea- 
swallow across the Firth of Solway as to try to 
overtake us. Pull, boys, pull ! never mind who 
hears us ; the important thing is to get well away 
from the castle." 

"Who goes there .^" cried a voice from the 
tower. 

"Pull with all your might, boys," said Doug- 
las. 

" A boat ! a boat !" shouted the sentinel. " Trea- 
son ! treason ! To arms ! to arms !" 

An instant later a flame illuminated the lake 
and a bullet whistled over their heads ; the Queen 
gave a smothered shriek, although she was in no 
danger, for George had taken his position directly 
in front of her and shielded her completely with 
his body. 

Lochleven's alarm bell was now ringing madly, 
lights flashed from window to window, and a con- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 197 

fused clamor of voices reached their ears as they 
sped across the water. 

" Courage, lads," cried Douglas. " Row as if 
your lives hung on every stroke, for the skiff will 
be after us in five minutes." 

" They won't come as soon as you think, George," 
said little Douglas, chuckling softly, *' for I care- 
fully locked every door behind us, and it will take 
some time to open them with the keys I left. As 
for these," he continued, holding up those he had 
so adroitly pilfered, " I present them to Kelpie, 
and name her porter of Lochleven Castle." 

The thunder of a small piece of artillery replied 
to the boy's pleasantry, but the night was too dark 
for the gunner to aim accurately at such a distance, 
and the ball ricocheted along the surface of the 
lake full fifty feet from the boat, while its echo 
rang from shore to shore and died away in the dis- 
tance. George Douglas, drawing a pistol from 
his belt, fired into the air, not in a vain, braggardly 
response to the castle's menace, but as a signal 
that the Queen was safe to the troop of faithful 
friends who waited her on the further side of the 
lake. Immediately, regardless of the danger aris- 
ing from the proximity of Kinross village, shouts 



198 MARY STUART, 

of joy rent the air, and a moment later the boat 
touched shore at the appointed landing-place. 

Douglas bounded ashore and extended his hand 
to the Queen, who sprang lightly out on the sands 
and immediately knelt to render thanks to Heaven 
for her deliverance. 

Rising she found herself surrounded by her 
most devoted adherents; Hamilton, Herries, and 
Lord Seaton, Mary's father. Wild with joy she 
seized their hands and stammered out her thanks 
in broken words, which expressed more eloquently 
than the most elegant periods her delight and grat- 
itude. Suddenly, observing that the Douglases 
stood aloof, she called them to her side and, taking 
their hands, said : 

" Gentlemen, here are my liberators, to whom, 
as long as I live, I shall owe a debt of gratitude 
which nothing can pay." 

"Madam," responded Douglas, "we have all 
simply done our duty, and he who has risked most 
is the happiest. But permit me to say that your 
Majesty should not waste a moment in idle talk." 

" Douglas is right," observed Lord Seaton, " let 
us be off !" 

Four couriers were at once dispatched in differ- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. I99 

ent directions to announce the Queen's escape to 
her friends, and then the little band, which was 
composed of about forty men, departed from the 
shores of Lochleven, guarding in their midst their 
beautiful and happy sovereign. They skirted the 
little village of Kinross, whose inhabitants had 
doubtless been roused by the alarm from the castle, 
and rode rapidly away toward Seaton's stronghold, 
where there was a sufficient garrison to protect the 
Queen from a sudden attack. 

They travelled all night. Lord Seaton riding on 
one side of the Queen and Douglas on the other, 
and toward dawn arrived at Niddrie Castle, which 
was not far from Linlithgow, the Queen's birth- 
place. 

" Madam," said Lord Seaton, as he conducted 
Mary to the apartments which had awaited her 
coming for nine months, " you have need of repose 
after the excitement and strain of the past twelve 
hours, and I beg that you will rest quietly and be 
alarmed by nothing. Any noise which you may 
hear will be caused by the arrival of re-enforce- 
ments which we are hourly expecting. As for 
your enemies, your Grace has nothing to fear from 
them while under my roof," 



200 MARY STUART. 

The Queen again thanked her rescuers, gave 
Douglas her hand to kiss, pressed her lips to the 
boy's forehead, telling him he should in future be 
her favorite page, and then retired to her chamber, 
where Mary Seaton claimed the privilege of still 
performing the duties which had been hers during 
their eleven months' captivity. 

Upon opening her eyes after a long and refresh- 
ing sleep, Mary Stuart thought she had been 
dreaming one of those blissful dreams which are 
so agonizing to a prisoner when he wakes to find 
his freedom was but a vision, that his dungeon 
door is still securely bolted, his window still 
barred. Hardly believing the evidence of her 
senses, she sprang out of bed and ran straight to 
the window ; the court-yard below was filled with 
soldiers, and those armed men were all friends 
who had flocked to Niddrie on hearing of her es- 
cape, for she recognized the banners of Seaton, 
Herries, Hamilton, and Arbroath. As she stood 
gazing with moist eyes on the brave men who had 
come to fight, perhaps to die, for her, some one per- 
ceived, her and in an instant caps and banners were 
waving, and shouts of " Long live Mary of Scot- 
land !" Long live our Queen !" greeted her ears. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 201 

Regardless of her neglige costume, beautiful and 
pure as her emotion, she bowed graciously and 
smiled upon the assembled troops, while tears of 
joy coursed down her cheeks. 

When her excitement had somewhat abated, she 
recollected that she had no other costume than the 
livery in which she had escaped from Lochleven. 
She spoke of her dilemma to Mary Seaton, who re- 
plied by opening the wardrobe doors ; it was filled 
with dresses which, like the livery, had been fitted 
on Mary Flemming, and contained all the acces- 
sories of a woman's toilet. The Queen was 
amazed; it seemed as if she had entered an 
enchanted castle where she had but to express a 
desire and it was gratified. 

"Darling," she said, examining the costumes, 
which had been selected with exquisite taste and 
with a wonderful knowledge of what suited her 
beauty best, " I knew your father was a brave and 
loyal knight, but I did not think him a connoisseur 
in matters of dress ; I shall name him director of 
the wardrobe." 

"Ah, madam," replied Mary Seaton laughing, 
" my dear father could never fill that office. He has 
looked to the polishing of every cuirass, the sharp- 



202 MAEY STUART, 

ening of every sword, unrolled every banner in the 
castle, and is ready to die in your Majesty's ser- 
vice ; but it would never have occurred to him to 
offer your Grace anything but his sword, his 
house, and perhaps his cloak if you required it. It 
was Douglas who forestalled all your wants and 
thought of everything, even of Rosabell, who now 
awaits impatiently in the stable for the moment 
when your Majesty will mount her, and return in 
triumph to Edinburgh." 

" How did he manage that V asked the Queen 
in amazement ; " I thought that the fair Alice, my 
brother's favorite sultana, had fallen heir to the 
mare." 

" So she did, and, knowing the animal's value, 
mistress Alice kept her under lock and key and 
guarded by a small army of grooms. But Douglas 
can perform miracles, and the horse is here." 

Mary Stuart's eyes filled with tears. " O loyal, 
tender heart," she murmured, "yours is a devotion 
which cannot be repaid; others will be content 
with offices, honors, riches, but you care for none 
of those, and that which would make you happy I 
can never give you." 

" Come, come, madame," said her companion 



QUEEJSr OF SCOTS, 203 

cheerily, "do not worry about Douglas; God as 
sumes the obligations of kings, and He will reward 
your knight. I must remind your Majesty," she 
continued smiling, "that dinner is served and 
awaits your appearance, and I hope you do not in- 
tend to affront my father, as you did Lord Douglas, 
by refusing to grace his banquet." 

" It was fortunate I did," said Mary ; " but a truce 
to gloomy thought — we will consider when we 
reign once more what we can do for Douglas." 

Mary Seat on made haste to complete her Maj- 
esty's toilet, and escorted her to the great hall 
where those of the principal nobles of her party 
who had arrived at the rendezvous were awaiting 
her coming; her entrance was greeted with joyous 
acclamations, and she took her seat at the table 
amidst general enthusiasm, having Lord Seaton on 
her right hand, Douglas on her left, while Willie 
stood behind her chair to fill, for the first time, his 
office of page. 

It was settled that on the following day the 
Queen and her adherents should travel to Hamil- 
ton where more troops awaited them, and at the 
appointed hour Mary appeared among her pro- 
tectors, mounted on Rosabell and arrayed in a 



204 MARY STUART, 

bewitching Amazonian costume ; shouts of joy and 
admiration rose on all sides ; every one praised the 
Queen's beauty, grace, and spirit, and Mary Stuart 
was herself again as she felt her hold tighten upon 
the power of fascination which she had always 
exercised over all who came in contact with her. 
Everybody was in high spirits, and perhaps the 
happiest of all who were there assembled was little 
Douglas, who for the first time in his short life 
was treated with kindness and consideration, wore 
fine clothes, and rode a beautiful horse. 

Two or three thousand men awaited Mary at 
Hamilton, where she arrived the same evening, and 
during the night their number was increased to 
six thousand. On the 2d of May, Mary Stuart 
was a prisoner, with no friend but a young boy 
inside her prison walls, and with no means of com- 
municating with her partisans save the flickering, 
uncertain flame of a lamp; three days later she 
Avas not only free, but at the head of a powerful 
confederation which numbered among its leaders 
some of the noblest of Scotland's peers. 

The most prudent of the Queen's advisers coun- 
selled her to advance at once to the impregnable 
fortress of Dumbarton, where, secure from attack, 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 205 

she could await the arrival of all her supporters, 
many of whom resided in far distant counties. In 
accordance with that advice, the command of the 
troops who were to escort Mary to Dumbarton was 
entrusted to the Earl of Argyle, and on the 1 1 th 
of May she set out with an army of ten thousand 
men. 

Murray was at Glasgow when he learned of his 
sister's escape, and the town being strongly forti- 
fied he determined to hold it, and summoned the 
bravest and most devoted of his faction to join 
him. Kirkaldy, Morton, Lindsay, and the Doug- 
lases responded promptly, and he soon assembled 
around his standard six thousand of the flower of 
Scottish soldiery, while Lord Ruthven recruited 
followers in Berwick and Angus with which he 
was to join them. 

Before daybreak on the nth of May, Morton 
left Glasgow to occupy the village of Langside, 
through which the Queen had to pass on her way 
to Dumbarton; news of this move reached the 
Queen when the armies were about three miles 
apart, and remembering her experience at Car- 
berry Hill, her first impulse was to avoid a combat, 
in which opinion she was supported by George 



206 MARY STUART, 

Douglas, who, clad in a plain suit of mail without 
device, still kept his place at her side. 

" Avoid a battle !" indignantly exclaimed Lord 
Seaton, addressing Douglas as if the opinion em- 
anated from him, as etiquette prevented his dis- 
puting the question with the Queen ; " we might do 
that if we were one to ten, but as we have double 
their numbers we certainly shall not show the 
white feather. You give strange advice, my young 
friend, " he continued scornfully, " and it seems to 
me that you forget you are a Douglas, and speak 
to a Seaton." 

"My Lord Seaton," rejoined George calmly, 
" if only our lives were endangered, I venture to 
think you would find me as willing to fight as 
yourself, but we are now responsible for an exis 
tence more precious than all the Seatons and 
Douglases, and therefore I advise prudence." 

" Let us fight ! Let us fight !" clamored the 
chiefs. 

"You hear, your Majesty.^*" said Seaton, ad- 
dressing the Queen ; " they are unanimous in their 
desire, and I believe to oppose them would be most 
unwise — we Scots have an old proverb that courage 
is the greatest prudence." 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 207 

" But you heard it said, did you not, my lord, " 
replied the Queen, "that the Regent's troops 
occupy a most advantageous position?" 

" The greyhound pursues the hare over hills as 
well as plains," returned Seaton, "and however 
strong his position we will dislodge him." 

" As you think best, my lords ; it shall never be 
said that Mary Stuart obliged her friends to sheathe 
the swords they had drawn in her defence." 
Then, turning to Douglas she said, " George, se- 
lect a body-guard of twenty men and take com- 
mand of it; you must not leave my side." 

Douglas bent his head gravely in sign of obedi- 
ence, selected twenty of the flower of the army, 
placed the Queen and Mary Seaton in their midst, 
and took his place at their head. The march 
was then resumed, and in about two hours the 
vanguard came in sight of the enemy, whereupon 
they halted and awaited the main body of the army. 

The Queen's forces were then abreast of the city 
of Glasgow, and the heights before them were 
already covered by a considerable force, over 
which, as above Mary's army, floated the royal 
banner of Scotland. Upon the declivity opposite 
lay the village of Langside surrounded by fields 



2o8 MARY STUART, 

and gardens ; the road which led to it followed the 
natural lay of the land and was so narrow at one 
place that two men could barely walk abreast, 
while farther it plunged into a ravine, emerging 
from which it branched in opposite directions, 
one half leading to Langside, the other to Glas- 
gow. 

On viewing the lay of the land, the Earl of 
Argyle at once recognized the importance of occu- 
pying the village, and commanded Lord Seaton to 
take a strong detachment and make haste to invest 
it before the enemy, who had doubtless made the 
same discovery as the leader of the royal forces, for 
a considerable body of cavalry was in motion at 
that moment. 

Lord Seaton immediately mustered his men, 
but as they were falling into ranks. Lord Arbroath 
drew his sword and, advancing to the Duke of 
Argyle, said angrily : 

" My lord, you wrong me by sending Lord 
Seaton to seize this position ; as commander of the 
vanguard that honor belongs to me, and I trust no 
one will dispute my right." 

" The order to seize that post was given to me, 
and, by Heaven, I will execute it !" cried Seaton. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 209 

" Perhaps," retorted Arbroath, " but not in ad- 
vance of me !" 

" In advance of you, and all the Hamiltons !" 
exclaimed Seaton, and setting spurs to his horse 
he galloped down the narrow road shouting : " St. 
Bennet ! Forward ! " 

" Follow me, my men," cried Arbroath, springing 
into his saddle and darting away in the same direc- 
tion : " Forward, my men-at-arms ! God and the 
Queen." 

Both troops followed their leaders in disorderly 
fashion and came violently together in the defile 
leading to the ravine ; there a struggle took place 
between those who should have fought side by side 
against a mutual enemy. At last they crowded 
through the pass and disappeared in the ravine, 
leaving behind them many a gallant fellow who 
would have served Mary well. Arbroath and Seaton 
had lost precious time in this senseless skirmish, 
and Morton's detachment was already in possession 
of the village, which it now became necessary for 
the Queen's men to capture, not to invest. 

Argyle, realizing that the struggle of the day 
would concentrate about Langside, took command 
of the main body of the army and advanced to his 
14 



210 MARY STUART, 

general's relief, ordering that a rear-guard of two 
thousand men should remain with the Queen, and 
await further orders before joining in the battle. 

Whether the nobleman commanding this reserve 
force misunderstood the Duke's orders, or whether 
jealousy prompted him to display his valor under 
the Queen's eyes, none can tell, but scarcely had 
Argyle disappeared in the ravine, at the extremity 
of which Kirkaldie and Morton were engaged in a 
deadly combat with Arbroath and Seaton, than, 
heedless of Mary's protests, he too galloped off, 
leaving the Queen with no other guard than the 
little escort selected by Douglas. 

"I am no soldier," said Mary sadly, "but it 
seems to me that this battle is both ill-advised 
and badly begun." 

" Alas !" responded Douglas, sighing, " from 
the highest to the lowest we are all possessed by 
a spirit of folly, and those who should be cool and 
clear-headed are acting like fools and children." 

"Victory! victory!" cried the Queen suddenly, 
clapping her hands, " the enemy are retreating, for 
I see the banners of Seaton and Arbroath waving 
among the first houses of the village." Her en- 
thusiasm was quickly quenched as she espied a 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 21 1 

corps of the enemy's cavalry advancing for a flank 
attack. 

" That is nothing, madame, do not be alarmed," 
said Douglas reassuringly ; " they are only cavalry 
and not greatly to be feared, and moreover Argyle 
will debouch in time to reinforce our men." 

" Look, George !" cried little Douglas excitedly. 

"At what?" 

" Don't you see ?" continued the child, pointing 
toward the enemy's corps, who were advancing at 
a gallop ; " each horseman has an arquebusier on 
the crupper, so that the troop is twice as strong as 
it looks." 

" Upon my soul, the boy is right 1" cried Doug- 
las, "he has sharp eyes. Some one must go at 
once to warn Argyle." 

" Let me go !" cried the boy. " I saw them first, 
and I ought to carry the warning." 

"Go then, my boy," answered Douglas, "and 
God be with you." 

The lad flew off like an arrow, not hearing, or 
pretending not to hear, the Queen, who called him 
to come back. They watched him tear down the 
road and disappear in the hollow, just as Argyle 
emerged from the farther end to reinforce Seaton 



212 MARY STUART, 

and Arbroath. Meantime the enemy's detach- 
ment had dismounted the infantry, who had rapidly 
formed a scattering line along the side of the ra- 
vine, securing a position impracticable to cavalry. 

" Willie will be too late," cried Douglas ; " and 
even had he arrived in time the news would not 
have helped matters. Oh, fools, fools that we 
are ! This is how we have lost all our battles." 

"Is the day then lost.-*" asked Mary with color- 
less cheeks. 

" No, madam, not yet, thank Heaven ! but be- 
cause of too great haste it has engaged badly." 

" And Willie .^" said Mary anxiously. 

" He is serving his military apprenticeship, for, 
if I am not mistaken, he is at this moment in the 
very spot where the arquebusiers are firing so 
rapidly." 

"Poor little fellow," said the Queen; "if any 
harm befalls him I shall never forgive myself." 

" Alas, madam," responded Douglas sadly, " I 
am afraid his first battle will be his last, and now 
it is all over with him; for, unless my eyes de- 
ceive me, here comes his horse with an empty 
saddle." 

"O my God! my God!" cried the Queen, 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 213 

bursting into tears, "am I predestined to bring 
death to all who love me ?" 

George had not erred, for a moment later the 
boy's riderless horse trotted up to its comrades, 
and Mary saw, with despair, that the saddle was 
covered with blood. 

" Madam," said Douglas, " we are badly placed 
here ; let us gain the heights upon which Crock- 
stone Castle stands, from thence we can command 
a view of the whole battlefield." 

" No, no, I cannot go there !" almost shrieked 
the Queen ; " it was there that I spent my honey- 
moon with Darnley; it would bring me ill-fortune." 

" Very well then," said George, pointing to a 
hillock at a little distance, " we will take our stand 
up there, under that yew-tree; it is most impor- 
tant that we should see every move of the battle, 
for your Majesty's safety may depend upon an ill- 
advised manoeuvre, or a moment wasted." 

"Take my bridle rein then," said the Queen, 
" and lead me where you think best, for I can no 
longer see to guide my horse ; every discharge of 
those terrible guns finds an echo in my aching 
heart." 

Although the eminence to which Douglas con- 



214 MARY STUART, 

ducted the little band overlooked the whole field 
of battle, the constant discharge of artillery and 
the sharp fusillade produced so dense a cloud of 
smoke that it was impossible to distinguish aught 
save a shapeless, struggling mass amidst the homi- 
cidal vapor. At last, after an hour of suspense, 
flying forms could be seen emerging from the sea 
of smoke and seeking refuge in every direction ; 
but at that distance it was impossible to distin- 
guish who had won or lost the day, nor did the 
standards assist in the solution of the problem, 
for both of the contesting parties carried the arms 
of Scotland. 

After a few moments of fearful anxiety they 
saw a body of Murray's cavalry rush down from 
the hills of Glasgow and charge upon the retreat- 
ing forces ; this movement dispelled their doubts — 
Mary Stuart's army was defeated. 

While the little group stood dismayed and 
horror-stricken, a band of horsemen appeared from 
the ravine and advanced toward them. 

" Fly, madam, fly !" cried Douglas ; " for those 
horsemen are your enemies and will soon be fol- 
lowed by others. Cover as much distance as 
possible while I hold them in check, and you 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 215 

men," he continued, turning to her escort, "sell 
your lives as dearly as possible, and die to the last 
man rather than let your Queen be taken prisoner." 

" George ! George !" cried the Queen, standing 
as if nailed to the spot, " do not leave me !" 

But George had already ridden away at full 
speed, and being superbly mounted he traversed 
the intervening space with lightning-like rapidity 
and reached the narrow pass in advance of his 
enemies ; there he stopped, put his lance in rest, 
and alone against five valiantly awaited the onset. 

The Queen did not move, but sat as if petrified, 
her eyes fixed upon the unequal combat which was 
taking place within five hundred feet of her. 
Suddenly she noticed that one of George's oppo- 
nents bore a bleeding heart upon his shield ; it was 
the Douglas crest, and at sight of it she uttered a 
cry of horror and reeled in her saddle : 

"Douglas against Douglas, brother against 
brother," she moaned; "oh, this is more than I 
can bear." 

" Madam ! madam !" cried one of her escort, 
" there is not a moment to lose ; the young Lord 
of Douglas cannot long hold out against five, and 
we must fly for our lives." Suiting his action tg 



2i6 MARY STUART, 

his words he seized the Queen's rein, another 
soldier gave Rosabell a sharp blow with his gaunt- 
leted hand, and they set off at a gallop just as 
George, having slain two of his enemies and 
wounded a third, fell to the earth pierced by a lance. 

Mary uttered a low, piteous cry as she saw him 
fall ; then, as if he alone had detained her in that 
place of danger and she took no interest in any- 
thing now that he was slain, she bravely composed 
herself, gathered up the reins and urged Rosabell 
to her utmost speed, and as, like herself, the escort 
were splendidly mounted, they were soon beyond 
pursuit. 

She had a weary ride of sixty long Scottish 
miles, and finally took shelter at Dundrennen Ab- 
bey in Galloway, where, for a time at least, she 
knew she would be secure. The prior came def- 
erentially to meet her at the convent gate, and 
received her with the utmost kindness. 

" Father," said Mary, sadly as she alighted from 
her horse, " I bring misfortune and desolation in 
my train." 

"They are welcome, my daughter," responded 
the prior gravely, " since they come accompanied 
by duty." 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 2\*J 

After a few words with the brave priest she 
went to her horse, whose drooping head and heav- 
ing sides bore witness to the loyal service she had 
rendered, and after kissing her between the eyes 
recommended her to the care of one of the escort; 
then, leaning on Mary Seaton, who had not left 
her for an instant, and Lord Herries, who had 
joined her on the road, she entered the convent. 

Lord Herries did not attempt to disguise the 
gravity of her situation. The battle had resulted 
in total defeat, and all hope of her reascending the 
throne, for the moment if not forever, was swept 
away. There remained but one move for the 
Queen to make : to escape either to Spain, France, 
or England, and following Lord Herries' advice, 
which accorded with her own inclinations, Mary 
decided to take refuge in England, and at once 
wrote the following letter to Elizabeth : 

" My dear Sister : — I have often prayed you to 
harbor my storm-tossed bark during the tempest, 
and if you will now promise it a safe haven I will 
cast anchor with you for the remainder of my days ; 
otherwise the poor craft is in God's care, and she is 
well caulked and prepared to face all weather. I 
have always proceeded fairly with you, and do now, 



2i8 MARY STUART, 

so do not take my letter amiss. I do not mistrust 
you as this may incline you to believe, but have 
the utmost confidence in your friendship." 

Elizabeth trembled with joy on the receipt of this 
letter. Her hatred of Mary Stuart had increased 
steadily during the eight years that she had reigned 
in Scotland; she had watched her as a tigress 
might a gazelle, and at last the graceful creature 
was about to seek a refuge in her lair. Elizabeth 
had never hoped for such good fortune, and she 
immediately despatched an order to the sheriff of 
Cumberland, instructing him to inform her royal 
cousin that she was ready to receive her; so, one 
morning, the inmates of the convent heard the 
blare of a trumpet on the shore ; it announced the 
arrival of Queen Elizabeth's envoy on his mission 
to Queen Mary. 

The prior, and many of the Queen's friends, 
urgently entreated her not to trust so powerful a 
rival as her English cousin, but the poor, dethroned 
Queen had perfect confidence in her " dear sister," 
and believed that she should enjoy at Elizabeth's 
court the position due her rank and misfortunes ; 
she therefore persisted in her determination, de- 
spite all that was said to ber. We of to-day have 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 219 

seen another royal fugitive, attacked by the same 
mental vertigo, trust himself, as Mary Stuart did, 
to England's magnanimity ; like her he was cruelly 
deceived, and found the scaffold of Fotheringay in 
the deadly climate of St. Helena. 

When the Queen and her little suite reached the 
shore of the Frith of Sol way they were met by the 
guardian of the English frontier, a gentleman by 
the name of Lowther, who received the Queen 
with the greatest deference, but informed her that 
he could allow but three of her women to accom- 
pany her. Mary Seaton immediately claimed the 
privilege of being one of them. 

"My dearest girl," said the Queen tenderly, 
taking her hand, " you have already suffered too 
much for me ; let some one else go." 

But Mary Seaton, weeping, clung to her mistress* 
hand, sobbing that nothing in the world could 
make her forsake the Queen, and that if forced to 
remain behind she would kill herself. 

Upon this all who had accompanied the Queen 
renewed their entreaties, imploring her to return 
to Dundrennen, and, if she dared not remain in 
Scotland, to seek refuge in some Catholic country. 
When she was half-way across the gang-plank 



220 MARY STUART, 

leading to the boat, the good prior, who had shel- 
tered her with touching devotion when it was most 
dangerous to offer her hospitality, waded up to his 
knees in the sea that he might catch hold of her 
dress and beg her to reconsider her decision ; at 
that moment Lowther advanced and addressed her : 

" Madam," he said, " permit me to observe that 
the tide is now favorable, and that, if your Grace 
intends to sail, we should weigh anchor. I regret 
that I cannot extend a cordial welcome to England 
to all those who would gladly follow you thither ; 
but our Queen gave positive orders that only a 
certain number were to accompany you." 

"Your Majesty hears!" cried the prior, wring- 
ing his hands ; " 'positive orders ! ' In Heaven's 
name, madam, turn back while there is yet time ; 
you are lost if you leave this shore. Help, gentle- 
men, help !" he shouted, turning toward Lord Her- 
ries and the other gentlemen of Mary's suite ; " do 
not permit your Queen to abandon you ; detain her 
by force if needs be, but, in God's name, prevent 
this journey !" 

"What is the meaning of this violence, Sir 
Priest } " said Lowther haughtily. " I am here at 
the express request of your Queen ; she is free to 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 221 

return with you if she chooses, and there need be 
no question of force. Madam," he continued, 
turning to the Queen, " is it your desire to follow 
me to England, and do you undertake this journey 
of your own free will and without coercion? 
Answer me frankly, I beg of you, for my honor 
demands that the whole world shall know that you 
accompanied me willingly." 

" I beg your pardon, sir," answered Mary, " in 
behalf of this worthy servant of God and his 
Queen, for any offence he has given you. I leave 
Scotland of my own free will, and I place myself 
in your hands, fully confident that I shall be at lib- 
erty either to remain in England or return to my 
relations in France. Give me your blessing, 
father," she said to the prior, "and may Heaven 
protect you." 

" Alas ! alas !" muttered the priest, " it is not 
we who have need of God's protection, but you, 
my poor child. I would that a poor priest's bless- 
ing could ward off the misfortunes which I see 
hanging over your royal head. Go, my daughter, 
go ; you are in God's hands, and naught can befall 
you s?,/e that which His wisdom and mercy have 
ordained.'* 



222 MAJ^Y STUART, 

The Queen then gave her hand to the sheriff, who 
led her aboard the boat, followed only by Mary 
Seaton and two other women. The sails were at 
once set and the boat moved slowly off toward the 
coast of Cumberland. Mary's friends remained 
upon the beach watching and waving their hand- 
kerchiefs until the little craft, with the Queen 
standing in the stern, faded from sight, then, in 
tears and sadness, they dispersed in divers direc- 
tions. Their grief was fully justified, for the good 
priest's presentiments were well founded and none 
of them ever looked upon Mary Stuart again. 

Upon landing on English soil, Mary was met by 
messengers from Elizabeth, who were charged to 
express their mistress' profound regret at her in- 
ability either to admit Mary Stuart to her pres- 
ence or accord her the affectionate welcome which 
her heart dictated. It was essential, they said, 
that before she appeared at court she should 
prove her innocence of all complicity in Darnley's 
death, as his family, being English subjects, were 
rightfully entitled to Queen Elizabeth's protection 
and had claimed justice at her hands. 

Mary Stuart was so blind that she fell i^'to the 
trap and at once offered to prove her innocence to 



QUEEN OE SCOTS, 223 

Elizabeth's entire satisfaction ; but no sooner did 
the English Queen receive her letter, than she 
changed from arbiter to judge, appointed a com- 
mission to take the evidence on both sides, and 
summoned Murray to appear as his sister's accuser. 

The Regent, who was fully cognizant of Eliza- 
beth's secret intentions regarding her rival, did not 
hesitate a moment, but went at once to England, 
carrying the casket containing the three letters, 
the verses, and other documents which proved that 
Mary had not only been Bothwell's mistress during 
Darnley's lifetime, but had been a party to his 
assassination. 

Lord Herries and the Bishop of Ross acted as 
the Queen's advocates ; they maintained that the 
letters were forgeries, and demanded that they 
should be compared with specimens of Mary's 
writing by a chirographical expert, and that his 
testimony be accepted. To this Elizabeth ob- 
jected, and to this day the authenticity of those 
damaging letters remains unverified. The inves- 
tigation covered a period of five months, at the 
end of which time Elizabeth informed the oppos- 
ing parties that, as the commission had failed to 
bring forth any convincing evidence either of the 



224 MARY STUART, 

justice of the complaint or the innocence of the 
accused, matters must remain m static quo until 
either the plaintiff or defendant could adduce new 
evidence. 

As a logical sequel to this extraordinary deci- 
sion, Elizabeth should have sent the Regent back 
to Scotland, and permitted Mary Stuart to go 
where she pleased; but instead, she ordered her 
royal prisoner transferred from Bolton Priory to 
Carlisle, from which place, as if to crown her sor- 
row, the poor Queen could see the blue mountains 
of Scotland. 

Among the judges appointed by Elizabeth to 
investigate Mary's conduct was Thomas Howard, 
Duke of Norfolk, an honorable but rather weak 
nobleman, who, partly because Mary was captivat- 
ing and had convinced him of her innocence, 
partly because he was overpersuaded by artful 
plotters against Elizabeth, and partly because he 
was ambitious and desired to marry the Queen of 
Scots, resolved to release her from captivity. 

His ideas were secretly encouraged by some of 
the English nobility, among whom were the Earls 
of Westmoreland and Northumberland, and even, 
it is said, by Elizabeth's favorite, the Earl of Lei- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 225 

cester. Their plot was not so quietly planned, 
however, but that it reached Elizabeth's ears, and 
she first warned the Duke of Norfolk to " be care- 
ful what sort of pillow he was going to lay his 
head on," and shortly afterward committed him to 
the Tower. Westmoreland and Northumberland, 
being warned in time, escaped across the frontier 
and took refuge in the marches of Scotland, which 
were peopled by Mary's partisans. The former 
afterward crossed to Flanders, where he died in 
exile; the latter fell into Murray's hands and was 
sent to Lochleven, where he was more carefully 
guarded than the royal prisoner had been. 

The Duke of Norfolk was released after a short 
imprisonment, and it would have been well for 
him if he had kept away from the Tower for ever- 
more, and from the snares which had taken him 
there; but even while in that dismal place he con- 
tinued to correspond with Mary, and as soon as he 
was out of it began to plot again. Being discov- 
ered in correspondence with the pope, with a view 
to a rising in England, which should force Eliza- 
beth to consent to his marriage with Queen Mary 
and to repeal the laws against the Catholics, he 
was recommitted to the Tower, and being found 
15 



226 MARY STUART, 

guilty by the unanimous verdict of the lords who 
tried him, was sentenced to the block. Mary 
Stuart's star had not lost its fatal influence. 

Meanwhile, the Regent had returned to Edin- 
burgh, loaded with gifts and practically victorious 
in his suit, as Mary remained a prisoner. He im- 
mediately set to work to disperse the remainder of 
her partisans, and as soon as the doors of Loch- 
leven had closed upon Northumberland he insti- 
tuted proceedings, in the name of the child king, 
James VL, against all those who had upheld his 
mother's cause, and more particularly the Hamil- 
tons, who were mortal enemies of the Douglases. 
Six of the most prominent members of that family 
were condemned to death, but succeeded in ob- 
taining a commutation of the sentence to perpet- 
ual banishment through the intercession of John 
Knox, whose influence in Scotland was then so 
great that Murray dared not refuse him. 

One of these amnestied men was a certain 
Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, a type of the old 
regime^ savage and vindictive as the nobles of 
James I.'s time. He was living in hiding in the 
Highlands, when he learned that Murray, by vir- 
tue of the decree of confiscation against the exiles. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 227 

had bestowed his property upon one of his min- 
ions, and had barbarously driven his bedridden 
wife out of her home, without so much as giving 
her time to dress, although the weather was in- 
tensely cold. The poor woman, deprived of shel- 
ter, food, or clothing, had gone mad, and wan- 
dered about in the neighborhood of her home for 
some days, an object of universal pity but of ter- 
ror as well, for every one feared to compromise 
himself by doing aught to alleviate her misery. 
At last she died of starvation and exposure on the 
very threshold of the house from which she had 
so brutally been driven forth. 

On learning of her terrible fate, Bothwellhaugh, 
despite his violent temper^ displayed no anger, but 
only remarked quietly, with a smile of fearful 
meaning : 

" I will avenge her." 

The next day he disguised himself and left the 
Highlands, armed with an order from the Arch- 
bishop of St. Andrews (who had followed the 
Queen's fortunes to the last moment) that a house 
which that prelate owned in the village of Linlith- 
gow should be placed at his disposal. This 
house, situated on the principal street of the vil- 



228 MARY STUART, 

lage, had a balcony overhanging the roadway, and 
at its back a walled garden with a door giving di- 
rectly on to the open country. 

Bothwellhaugh took possession at night, in- 
stalled himself on the second floor, hung the walls 
with black so that his shadow might not be seen 
by passers-by, covered the floor with mattresses so 
that his footsteps should not be heard from the 
street, and tied a fleet horse, all saddled and bri- 
dled, in the garden. He then loosened the hinges 
of the garden-door, so that it would fall outward 
at a touch and enable him to pass through at a 
gallop, loaded an arquebus, and shut himself up 
in his room to await his victim's coming. 

All these preparations were due, as the reader 
will have guessed, to the fact that Murray was to 
pass through Linlithgow the next day; but, se- 
cretly as Bothwellhaugh had worked, he was 
nearly foiled of his revenge, for the Regent's 
friends warned him that it was unsafe to pass 
through the town, which was peopled almost en- 
tirely by adherents of the Hamiltons, and advised 
him to make a detour to avoid it. 

Murray, however, was a brave man and not in 
the habit of retreating before real danger ; so he 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 229 

simply scoffed at the fears of his friends and de- 
clined to alter his route. He passed through the 
village, not at a gallop, preceded by soldiers to 
clear the way, as his friends had counselled, but 
at a snail's pace, because of the crowd which 
thronged the street to see him pass and hampered 
his progress. When opposite the balcony the 
press became so great that he was obliged to halt 
for a moment, and that instant gave Bothwell- 
haugh time to accomplish his purpose. He stead- 
ied his arquebus on the balcony rail, and taking 
deliberate aim, fired. The gun was so heavily 
charged that the bullet passed through the Re- 
gent's chest and killed the horse of a gentleman 
who rode on his right, and Murray fell instantly, 
crying : " My God, I am killed !" 

The Regent's suite had noticed from which 
house the shot was fired, and immediately forced 
the door and rushed to arrest the assassin; but 
they entered just in time to catch a glimpse of 
Bothwellhaugh galloping through the garden-gate. 
Returning to the street they hurriedly mounted 
their horses and raced off in his pursuit. Al- 
though well mounted and having a lead of some 
minutes, four of Bothwellhaugh' s pursuers were so 



2 30 MAR Y S TUAR T, 

well horsed that they began to gain upon him; 
seeing which, and that his whip and spurs were 
insufficient, he drew his dagger and used it to 
goad on his steed. Under this terrible stimulant 
the horse redoubled his efforts, and-clearing a ra- 
vine eighteen feet wide, put a barrier between his 
master and his pursuers which they dared not at- 
tempt to leap. 

The murderer took refuge in France, where he 
was protected by the Guises, and as his bold act 
had given him a reputation for daring and courage, 
shortly before St. Bartholomew's overtures were 
made him to undertake the assassination of Ad- 
miral Coligny. But Bothwellhaugh indignantly 
refused, saying he was the avenger of his own 
wrongs but no assassin, and that those who had 
grievances against the admiral had only to follow 
his example. 

Murray expired during the night following his 
assassination, leaving the Regency to the Earl of 
Lennox. On learning of his death, Elizabeth ex- 
claimed that she had lost her best friend. 

Despite the incessant and urgent demands of 
Charles IX. and Henri III., Mary Stuart remained 
a prisoner while these events were taking place in 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 231 

Scotland. But, alarmed by the attempt which 
had been made in her behalf, Elizabeth ordered 
her removal to Sheffield Castle, the neighborhood 
of which was constantly patrolled by guards, who 
were frequently changed. Days, months, and 
years rolled away, and poor Mary, who had found 
it so hard to bear eleven months' imprisonment in 
Lochleven Castle, was for fifteen years dragged 
from prison to prison, despite her remonstrances 
and those of the French and Spanish ambassadors, 
and finally consigned to Tuxbury Castle and the 
care of Sir Amyas Paulet, her last jailer. The 
lodgings assigned her there consisted of two low, 
damp rooms, wherein the little strength remaining 
to her wasted away, and she contracted rheuma- 
tism, so that there were days when she could not 
move because of the excruciating pain in every 
limb ; and at last she who was born in the purple, 
and had reigned over two kingdoms, was forced to 
humble herself and implore her jailer to give her 
a softer bed and warmer covering. This simple 
request was treated like an affair of state, and an 
entire month passed before it was granted. 

Despite the unhealthiness of her place of con- 
finement, poor food, and privations of every de- 



232 MARY STUART, 

scription, Mary's robust constitution still resisted ; 
and, finally, it was intimated to Paulet that he 
would be rendering his Queen a great service by 
abridging the existence of one whom her Majesty 
had already condemned; but, churlish and hard 
as Sir Amyas was before Mary Stuart, he declared 
that while under his care she need fear neither 
poison nor poniard, for he would taste of every- 
thing served her, and no stranger should approach 
her save in his presence. 

Elizabeth was therefore obliged to possess her 
soul in patience and to content herself with tor- 
menting her whom she could not murder, with the 
hope that a fresh occasion would present itself for 
bringing her to trial. At last her wicked wish 
was granted, for a great plot was discovered, and 
it ended the career of the unhappy Queen of Scot- 
land. 

A seminary priest named Ballard and a soldier 
by the name of Savage, encouraged by certain 
French priests, imparted a design for murdering 
Elizabeth to one Anthony Babington, a young 
gentleman of fortune, scion of a Catholic family 
in Derbyshire, who had been for some time a se- 
cret agent of Mary's. Babington confided the 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 233 

scheme to some other Catholic gentlemen, and they 
entered heartily into the plot. Two of their num- 
ber, however, one of whom was a priest, were trai- 
tors, and kept Elizabeth's shrewdest minister. Sir 
Francis Walsingham, acquainted with every step 
of the project. Walsingham permitted them to 
go as far as he could without danger to his royal 
mistress, and then, having convicting evidence 
against the whole band, he arrested them on the 
eve of the day fixed for her assassination. 

This imprudent and desperate undertaking fur- 
nished Elizabeth with the weapon she desired, for, 
according to English law, any attempt against the 
life of the sovereign was punishable with death ; 
thus, at length. Queen Elizabeth held Mary Stu- 
art's life in her hands. Orders were at once is- 
sued to Sir Amyas Paulet to seize the prisoner's 
papers and to transfer her to Fotheringay Castle 
in Northamptonshire; thereupon that gentleman, 
with a hypocritical pretence of sympathy, feigned 
to relax his usual severity and offered to allow the 
Queen to take the air on horseback, pretending 
that her health required it. The unhappy cap- 
tive, who for three weary years had not seen the 
country save through prison bars, accepted the 



234 MARY STUART, 

offer with delight, and a little party, composed of 
the Queen, her attendants, jailer, and two guards, 
rode out from Tuxbury, Mary being mounted, for 
greater security, on a horse whose legs were hob- 
bled. They reached Fotheringay in the after- 
noon, and the Queen found the apartments she 
was to occupy hung with black. Living, she had 
entered her tomb. 

Meanwhile, her two secretaries. Curie and 
Nane, had been arrested and all her private papers 
forwarded to Elizabeth, who ordered the commis- 
sioners to reassemble and proceed immediately to 
try the royal prisoner. They reached Fotherin- 
gay on the 14th of October, 1586, and the follow- 
ing morning they convened in the castle hall and 
began their investigations. 

Mary at first refused to appear before this tri- 
bunal, on the ground that it was incompetent to 
judge her, the commissioners not being her peers. 
She appealed to the ancient laws of England, 
which had never afforded her the least protection, 
but invariably left her at the mercy of those who 
were more powerful than she ; but, finally, when 
she saw that the trial proceeded in her absence, 
and that calumnious statements of every descrip- 



QUEEN OE SCOTS. 235 

tion were accepted as evidence by the tribunal in 
the absence of counsel for her defence, she de- 
cided to appear in her own behalf. 

We quote the report of the examinations to 
which she was subjected as transmitted to M. de 
Villeroy by M. de Bellievre, envoy extraordinary 
from Henri III. to Elizabeth : 

The Queen of Scotland, having seated herself 
at the end of a table in said hall, and said com- 
missioners being seated around her, began as fol- 
lows : 

" I do not consider that any of you here assem- 
bled is my equal, competent to be my judge, or to 
question me with reference to any charge ; there- 
fore all that I do and say at this moment is of my 
own free will, and I call God to witness that I am 
innocent of the awful charges made against me, 
and that my conscience is pure. As princess 
royal and crowned Queen I am responsible to none 
save God, and to Him alone must I render an ac- 
count of my actions ; therefore I renew my protest, 
that my appearance before you may not be preju- 
dicial either to me, the king, princes and potentates, 
my allies, nor my son ; and I demand that my pro- 
test be recorded and a copy furnished me." 



236 ^fARY STUART, 

Thereupon the Chancellor, who was one of the 
commissioners, protested against the Queen's pro- 
test, and ordered that the commission under which 
they were proceeding, and which, he claimed, was 
founded upon the statutes and laws of the kingdom, 
should be read to her. 

To this the Queen rejoined by a further protest, 
to the effect that the said laws and statutes were 
not applicable to her, because they were never 
intended to apply to persons of her rank. 

The Chancellor responded that the commission 
was instructed to proceed against her, even though 
she refused to appear or plead, and declared that 
he should continue the proceedings in view of the 
fact that she was doubly answerable to the law, 
the conspiracy having been formed not only in 
her interest, but with her consent; to which her 
Majesty replied that such a thought had never 
entered her mind. Upon which letters purporting 
to have been written by her to Anthony Babing- 
ton, and his answers, were read. 

Mary Stuart then affirmed that she had never 
seen Babington, never had any conference with 
him nor received any communications from him ; 
and that she defied any one in the world to prove 



QUEEN OE SCOTS. 237 

that she had ever done anything prejudicial or 
hostile to the Queen of England. Furthermore, 
she reminded her judges that, closely guarded as 
she had been since the day of her arrival in Eng- 
land, beyond reach of news from the outside world, 
separated and cut off from her kindred and friends, 
surrounded by foes, and deprived of all counsel, 
she could neither have participated in, nor con- 
sented to the intrigues of which she was accused. 
She said that many persons whom she did not 
know wrote to her, and that she received many 
letters which came from she knew not where. 

Babington's confession was then read to her, 
but she replied that she knew nothing about the 
matter, and that if Babington and his confederates 
had really said such things they were cowards, 
forgers, and liars. 

" Since you say I wrote to Babington," she ex- 
claimed, " show me my writing and my signature, 
and not forgeries like these, which you have com- 
piled at your leisure, and filled with falsehoods." 

Thereupon they showed her the letter which they 
claimed Babington wrote to her. She glanced over 
it and said : 

" I know nothing of this letter." 



238 MARY STUART, 

They then showed her her alleged reply, and 
again she said: 

" I know nothing of this letter. If you can 
show me a letter in my own writing, with my sig- 
nature, containing what you claim, I will plead 
guilty to everything, but up to the present moment 
you have produced no credible evidence — nothing 
but these forgeries, which you have invented and 
concocted to please yourselves." 

With that she rose and continued, with tears 
streaming down her cheeks : 

" If I ever consented to such an intrigue, having 
in view the death of my sister queen, I pray God 
to deal with me according to my iniquity. I con- 
fess that I have written to several people begging 
them to take counsel how they might deliver me 
from my wretched captivity, for I have languished 
in prison, a captive, ill-used princess, for nineteen 
years and seven months, but it has never occurred 
to me to ask, or even to wish, for the things of 
which you accuse me. I confess that I have used 
my influence for the deliverance of persecuted 
Catholics, and had I been, or was I now, able to 
save them by shedding my own blood, I should 
have, and would still do so." Then, turning 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 239 

toward Walsingham, she continued : *' From the 
moment I saw you here, my lord, I knew from 
whence this blow came ; you have always been my 
bitter enemy, and my son's, and have prejudiced 
every one against me and incited your Queen to 
this step." 

Thus directly accused, Walsingham rose : 

" Madam," he replied, " I protest before God, 
who is my witness, that you are mistaken and that 
I have done nothing against you unworthy of a 
man of honor and integrity either in my private 
capacity or as a public servant." 

That ended the first day's proceedings ; on the 
following day the Queen was again obliged to ap- 
pear before the commissioners, and being seated 
before the said table, with the said commissioners 
surrounding her, she began by saying, in a clear 
and steady voice : 

" You are well aware, my lords and gentlemen, 
that I am a sovereign Queen, anointed and con- 
secrated in the house of God, and that I neither 
can nor should, for any cause whatsoever, be sum- 
moned to your presence nor made to stand at your 
bar, to be judged by the laws which you put for- 
ward, for I am a free-born princess, and owe to no 



240 MARY STUART, 

prince more than he owes me, and I cannot make 
answer to the accusations brought against me in 
the name of my sister of England unless I am 
allowed the assistance of my counsel. You have 
the power to disregard my rights and to proceed as 
you choose, but I again protest against this mock- 
ery of justice; and I call God, the only just and 
true Judge, and the kings and princes, my allies 
and my peers, to witness my declaration." 

This protest was also recorded in accordance 
with her demands. 

She was then accused of having written several 
letters to the princes of Christendom, crying out 
against the Queen and kingdom of England. 

" That," said Mary, " is another question and I 
do not deny it, and I would do as much again in 
the furtherance of my desire for freedom, and 
there is not a man or woman living who would 
leave a stone unturned toward securing the aid of 
their friends, and their release from a captivity as 
cruel as mine. You accuse me upon the evidence 
of certain letters of Babington's ; well, I will not 
deny that he wrote to me and that I replied, and if 
you can find in my answers one single word re- 
garding the Queen, my sister, I will admit the jus- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 241 

tice of this proceeding against me. I wrote that 
I would accept his offer to set me at liberty, if he 
could do it without compromising either of us — 
that was all. As for my poor secretaries, it was 
not they, but their torture which spoke; nor is 
great reliance to be placed in the confessions of 
Babington and his confederates, for now that they 
are dead you can put any words you like into their 
mouths — and those who choose can believe you." 

The Queen then refused to answer further ques- 
tions unless allowed to have counsel, and after re- 
newing her protest withdrew to her apartments; 
but, as the Chancellor had threatened, the trial 
proceeded in her absence. 

Meanwhile M. de Chateauneuf, the French 
ambassador at London, was too close to head- 
quarters to be deceived as to the course affairs 
were taking, and as soon as a rumor reached him 
that Mary Stuart was to be brought to trial, he 
wrote to King Henri III. urging him to intervene 
in behalf of the prisoner. The King at once dis- 
patched M. de Bellievre as envoy extraordinary 
to Elizabeth, and at the same time, having learned 
that James VI., Mary's son, instead of interesting 

himself in his mother's fate, had replied to Cour- 
16 



242 MAR V STUAR T, 

celles, the French ambassador at his court, who 
had ventured to speak to him of her sad plight, 
" I can do nothing for her, she must reap what she 
has sown," he wrote the following letter, in the 
hope of determining the young king to second his 
efforts toward Mary's acquittal and release : 

"November 21, 1856. 
" CouRCELLES : — I have received your letter of 
October 4, and have read the observations of the 
King of Scotland in response to the assurance you 
gave him of my affection for him, observations 
which indicate that he is disposed to reciprocate 
that feeling ; but I wish your letter had informed 
me that he was better inclined toward the Queen, 
his mother, and that his heart prompted him to as- 
sist her in her present affliction. The fact that 
she has unjustly been imprisoned for over eighteen 
years ought to induce him to lend an ear to any 
plan proposed to secure her freedom — liberty is 
naturally desired by all men, and above all by 
those who are born of sovereign race, and destined 
to rule over other men. He should also consider 
that if my good sister, the Queen of England, 
hearkens to the counsels of those who desire that 
she should stain her hands with Queen Mary's 
blood, it will greatly and lastingly dishonor him, 
as the universal judgment of mankind will be that 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 243 

he refused his mother the benefit of his good 
offices with the said Queen of England, a service 
which it was his duty to undertake, and which 
would, perhaps, suffice to move my sister of Eng- 
land, if he would employ them at once and with 
the earnestness which filial duty commands. 
Moreover, it is to be feared that, his mother dead, 
his turn will soon follow, and that they may think 
to rid themselves of him by violence, in order to 
insure the English succession to those who are in 
a position to claim it after Elizabeth's death ; and 
not only might they thus act in order to frustrate 
his rightful claims to the throne of England, but 
to cast suspicion upon his right to his own crown. 
I do not know in what state my sister-in-law's 
affairs may be when this reaches you, but under 
any circumstances I desire that you should do your 
utmost, by urgent remonstrance and in every way 
which seems good to you, to arouse the King of 
Scotland to exert himself to defend and protect his 
mother; and that you should tell him from me 
that as it is something for which, should he do it, 
he will be commended by all other kings and 
sovereign princes, so must he remember that if he 
fail in his duty he will be severely blamed, and the 
result may be disastrous to his own interests. As 
regards my personal affairs, you will learn from 
this that the Queen, my mother, is soon to meet 
the King of Navarre and confer with him with a 



U4 Mary stctart, 

view to compose the disorders of this realm ; if his 
love for me is as great as mine for him, I hope 
that matters will soon be brought to a satisfactory 
conclusion, and that my subjects will have a re- 
spite from the grievous ills resulting from a civil 
war. I pray the Creator, my good Courcelles, to 
have you in His holy keeping. 

"Done at St. Germain-en-Laye, November 21, 
1586. (Signed) Henri. 

" (Countersigned) Brulart.'* 

This letter determined James VI. to make an 
effort in his mother's behalf, and he sent Gray, 
Robert Melvil, and Sir William Keith to Queen 
Elizabeth ; but, although Edinburgh was far nearer 
London than Paris, the French embassy arrived in 
advance of the Scotch King's envoys. The French 
embassy reached London on Monday, December 
I, 1586, and M. de Bellievre immediately dis- 
patched one of his suite, one M. de Villiers, to the 
court, which was then at Richmond; Queen 
Mary's judgment had been secretly rendered a 
week previous and submitted to Parliament, who 
were debating it, with closed doors. 

The French envoy could not have sought an 
audience at a less auspicious moment, and to gain 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 245 

time Elizabeth refused to receive M. de Villiers, 
sending word that the reason of her refusal would 
be made known on the following day; and the 
French embassy were amazed next day by hearing 
that a report was generally circulated in London 
that two of the gentlemen of M. de Bellievre's 
suite had died of the pest at Calais, and that there- 
fore the Queen, in spite of her desire to oblige 
Henri III., was unable to receive his messengers. 

M. de Bellievi-e was astounded when he heard 
this story ; he declared that the Queen had been 
deceived by a false and malicious rumor, and in- 
sisted on being received; nevertheless, the audi- 
ence was postponed from day to day for nearly a 
week, and it was not until he threatened to return 
to his King that Elizabeth, disquieted by Spain's 
attitude, and not anxious to embroil herself with 
France, sent word to M. de Bellievre, on the 
morning of December 7, that she would receive 
him on the afternoon at Richmond. 

At the hour set for their reception M. de Cha- 
teauneuf, ambassador to the English court, and 
M. de Bellievre, envoy extraordinary, presented 
themselves at the palace and were conducted to 
the Queen's presence, and, after the customary 



246 MARY STUART, 

formalities and salutations, began to deliver the 
remonstrances with which they were charged. 
Elizabeth answered them in their own language, 
which she spoke fluently, but declined to give them 
any definite information as to her intentions re- 
garding Queen Mary, promising, however, to do so 
within a few days. 

M. de Chateauneuf and the envoy were obliged 
to content themselves with this, and returned to 
London; but while they awaited the promised 
message they learned through a secret channel 
that sentence of death had been pronounced upon 
Mary. This information determined them upon 
returning to Richmond and again remonstrating 
with the Queen, and after making two or three 
profitless journeys they were finally admitted to 
the royal presence on the 15th of December. 
Elizabeth did not deny that sentence had been 
pronounced, and it was very evident that she did 
not intend to exercise her right of pardon ; so M. 
de Bellievre concluded that his mission was hope- 
less, and demanded his passports, and the Queen 
promised that he should have them within two or 
three days. 

On the Tuesday following, December 1 7th, Par- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 247 

liament was convoked at Westminster Palace and 
Mary Stuart's death-sentence was read, after 
which it was read with great pomp and solemnity 
on all the squares and public places of London, 
from whence the news was disseminated through- 
out the kingdom ; and in token of public satisfac- 
tion citizens illuminated their houses and lighted 
bonfires, and all the bells were rung. 

In the midst of this general rejoicing M. de 
Bellievre determined to make one more effort, so 
that he should have nothing with which to re- 
proach himself, and wrote the following letter to 
Queen Elizabeth : 

"Madame: We left your Majesty's presence 
yesterday, expecting, as you were graciously 
pleased to promise us, that we should shortly re- 
ceive your reply to our royal master's prayer in 
behalf of the Queen of Scotland, his sister-in-law 
and ally ; but we have this morning been advised 
that the said Queen's sentence has been publicly 
proclaimed throughout the city of London, al- 
though we based other hopes upon your clemency 
and your friendship for our Sovereign. Neverthe- 
less, that we may do our whole duty, and fulfil the 
intentions of our King, we humbly supplicate your 
Majesty to exercise your sovereign right of pardon, 



248 MAI^V STUART, 

and not refuse his Majesty's most urgent and 
affectionate prayers for the Queen of Scotland's 
life. The granting of this request will be re- 
ceived by our lord the King as the greatest favor 
your Majesty could bestow upon him ; as, on the 
contrary, nothing could cause him greater dis- 
pleasure or wound him more deeply than the pro- 
posed rigorous treatment of the said Queen. 
And, madame, as our master, the said King, when 
he accredited us to your Majesty in this matter, 
did not suppose it possible that such a denouement 
could be reached so promptly, we humbly implore 
your Grace, before the irrevocable step is taken, 
to allow us sufficient time to inform him of the 
actual condition of the said Queen's affairs, in 
order that your highness may know, before 
coming to a final determination in the mat- 
ter, what his Most Christian Majesty may be 
pleased to say to you by way of remonstrance 
concerning the most important affair which 
has been submitted to the judgment of men 
within our memory. 

" Monsieur de Saint- Cyr, who will present this 
to your Majesty, will, we venture to hope, bring 
us a favorable response. 

" (Signed) De Belli1:vre, 

"De l'Aubespine Chateauneuf. 

"I^NDON, December i6, 1586." 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 249 

Monsieur de Saint-Cyr and several other mem- 
bers of the embassy carried this letter to Rich- 
mond, but Elizabeth sent word that she was indis- 
posed and unable to receive them, and they were 
compelled to hand their letter to Walsingham, the 
Secretary of State, who promised them a prompt 
reply. 

In the face of this promise two days passed in 
silence, but toward evening on the second two 
English gentlemen called at the embassy, and 
without exhibiting anything in writing to confirm 
their statements, verbally informed M. de Bel- 
lievre that in accordance with the desire expressed 
in his letter, her Majesty had decided to accord 
Mary Stuart a reprieve of twelve days, during 
which time the King of France could be informed 
of her condemnation. 

As this was Elizabeth's ultimatum, and it was 
useless to press the matter further, M. de Genlis 
was at once dispatched to France with instructions 
to supplement the long dispatches from M. de 
Chateauneuf and M. de Bellievre by telling the 
King verbally all that he had seen or heard rela- 
tive to Queen Mary's affairs during his stay in 
England, 



250 MARY STUART, 

Henri III. immediately replied with a letter 
containing fresh instructions to his ambassadors ; 
but although M. de Genlis made the utmost haste, 
he did not reach London until the fourteenth day, 
forty-eight hours after the expiration of the re- 
prieve. Nevertheless, as the sentence had not 
been executed, MM. de Chateauneuf and de Bel- 
lievre hastened to Greenwich, where the Queen 
then was, and besought an audience for the pur- 
pose of transmitting their King's message. For 
four or five days Elizabeth steadily refused to re- 
ceive them, but as they would not be rebuffed and 
returned again and again to the charge, they were 
finally granted an audience. 

They were introduced with all the formalities of 
the etiquette in usage at that period, and found 
the Queen awaiting them in the audience-hall. 
The ambassadors approached and saluted her, and 
M. de Bellievre at once began most respectfully, 
but firmly, to deliver his King Henri's message. 
Elizabeth listened impatiently, moving restlessly 
in her arm-chair, and at last, unable to control 
herself, she sprang to her feet, and with flaming 
cheeks and flashing eyes, demanded : 

" M, de Bellievre, were you really charged by 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 251 

your King, my brother, to address me in such 
fashion?" 

" Yes, madame, " replied M. de Bellievre, bow- 
ing ; "I was expressly commanded to do so." 

" Have you the order in writing — signed by his 
own hand ?" 

"Yes, madame," returned the envoy calmly; 
" the King, your brother, instructed me, in letters 
signed with his own hand, to address to your Maj- 
esty the remonstrance I have had the honor to 
address to you." 

" I demand copies of such letters, attested with 
your own hand," cried Elizabeth, giving full sway 
to her wrath; "and remember that you will be 
held responsible for every word that you add or 
expunge." 

" Madame," replied de Bellievre, coolly, " it is 
not customary for the Kings of France, or their 
agents, to falsify letters or other documents. To- 
morrow morning you shall have the copies you 
so graciously request, and I will answer for their 
accuracy." 

"Enough, sir, enough!" exclaimed the Queen; 
and signing to all present to leave the room, she 
remained nearly an hour closeted with the envoys. 



252 MARY STUART, 

No one knows what passed at that intendew, save 
that Elizabeth promised to send an ambassador to 
the King of France, who should reach Paris as 
soon as, if not in advance of, M. de Bellievre, and 
who should be the bearer of her final decision re- 
garding the Queen of Scotland. She also gave 
the ambassadors to understand that any further 
efforts they might make to see her would be fruit- 
less. 

On January 1 3 th the envoys received their pass- 
ports, and were informed that a ship of war 
awaited them at Dover ; but on the very day of 
their departure a strange thing happened. 

A gentleman by the name of Stafford, brother 
to Elizabeth's ambassador to France, called upon 
M. de Trappes, an attache of the French embassy 
in London, and said that he knew of a man in the 
debtors' prison who had something of the utmost 
importance to communicate to him, touching the 
affair of the Queen of Scotland and the service the 
French King desired to render her. Although M. 
de Trappes distrusted the man, he felt that, under 
existing circumstances, he had no right to be in- 
fluenced by a mere suspicion, and he therefore 
accompanied Mr, Stafford to the debtors' prison. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 253 

On meeting the prisoner the man informed him 
that he was detained for a debt of twenty crowns 
only, and that his desire for freedom was so great 
that if M. de Chateauneuf would pay that sum he 
would engage to deliver the Queen of Scotland 
from her perilous position by stabbing Elizabetli. 
Seeing the snare which had been laid for the am- 
bassador, M. de Trappes expressed unbounded as- 
tonishment at the proposal, and said he was posi- 
tive that M. de Chateauneuf would be horrified at 
the idea of any plot which menaced either the 
Queen's life or the tranquillity of her kingdom ; 
then, refusing to listen to anything further, he 
hurried to the embassy and informed M. de Cha- 
teauneuf of all that had taken place. The ambas- 
sador, fathoming the motive of this proposition^ 
told Mr. Stafford that he thought it very strange 
that a gentleman like himself should suggest such 
a dastardly act to another gentleman, and ordered 
him to leave the embassy at once and never show 
his face there again. Stafford withdrew with the 
air of a man appalled at his own baseness and fear- 
ing for his life ; and pretending to believe that he 
was a doomed man, he besought M. de Trappes to 
allow him to cross the Channel with him and the 



254 MAJ^Y STUART, 

French envoys. His request was referred to M, 
de Chateauneuf, who responded that he not only 
forbade his house to Mr. Stafford, but forbade 
him to hold any communication with any one con- 
nected with the legation, adding that if he were 
not restrained by his high regard for his fellow 
diplomat, the Earl of Stafford, he would instantly 
denounce his treason. Stafford was arrested that 
very day. 

This adventure ended, M. de Trappes left Lon- 
don and hastened to join his companions, who had 
some hours the start of him ; but he was arrested 
in the suburbs of Dover, taken back to London, 
and cast into prison. Upon being interrogated he 
frankly related all that had passed, giving M. de 
Chateauneuf as a witness of the truth of his state- 
ment. On the following day he was questioned a 
second time, and great was his amazement when, 
in answer to his request that his replies of the 
previous day should be read, they produced a fal- 
sified report, which compromised both M. de Cha- 
teauneuf and himself. Indignant at such villainy, 
he demanded that it should be destroyed, entered 
a formal protest against the injustice of the pro- 
ceeding, refused to answer another question or 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 255 

sign another statement, and was taken back to the 
Tower with ostentatious precautions, intended to 
give the impression that he was held on a serious 
charge. 

The next day M. de Chateauneuf was summoned 
before the Queen and there confronted with Staf- 
ford, who impudently maintained that he had 
plotted with M. de Trappes and a certain prisoner 
for debt, to free Mary Stuart by ridding her of her 
powerful cousin and enemy, the Queen. M. de 
Chateauneuf denied Stafford's story and defended 
himself and the unlucky attache warmly; but 
Elizabeth was desirous of believing in the conspir- 
acy, and refused to credit the evidence brought 
forward to convince her, and she informed M. de 
Chateauneuf that his position as ambassador alone 
prevented his being arrested like his confederate, 
M. de Trappes. As she had promised, she dis- 
patched an ambassador to Henri III., but instead 
of charging him to explain the judgment which 
had just been pronounced and the execution about 
to follow, he was instructed to accuse M. de Cha- 
teauneuf of complicity in a plot, the discovery of 
which had determined the Queen of Scotland's 
fate, experience having convinced Elizabeth that 



2S6 MAJiV STUART, 

so long as her cousin lived her own life was in 
peril. 

Elizabeth caused the story of the fresh danger 
she had escaped to be circulated, not only in Lon- 
don but throughout England; and when the 
Scotch ambassador arrived and laid James VI.'s 
protest before her, she replied that their request 
for clemency was particularly ill-timed, as she had 
just acquired convincing proof of the dangers 
which surrounded her and which were due to Mary 
Stuart's influence. Robert Melvil essayed to 
combat this assertion, upon which Elizabeth lost 
her temper, and, cutting him short, said that it 
was owing to his bad advice that the King of 
Scotland had interested himself in his mother's 
behalf, and that if she had such an adviser she 
would have him beheaded. 

Melvil replied that even at the risk of his life 
he would never refrain from giving his master 
good advice, and that he v/ho would counsel a son 
to abandon his mother and leave her to die de- 
served to lose his head. 

At that, Queen Elizabeth ordered him to with- 
draw, saying she would communicate her reply to 
his master's request shortly. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 2t^7 

Several days passed without bringing any mes- 
sage; then Melvil, determined to force her hand, 
requested a farewell audience, which the Queen 
accorded. As in M. de Bellievre's case, the inter- 
view consisted largely of complaints and recrimi- 
nations; but, after much talk, Elizabeth finally 
asked the envoys what assurance of her own 
safety they could give her in case she consented 
to pardon the Queen of Scotland. Melvil replied 
that they were authorized to promise, in the name 
of their King and all his nobles, that Mary Stuart 
would renounce all claim to the throne of Eng- 
land in favor of her son, and that the King of 
France and all her relations among the princes 
and nobles would be her sureties. 

To this Elizabeth, forgetting her usual caution, 
responded excitedly : 

" Truly, that is a fine suggestion, Melvil ! 
You propose that I shall arm my enemy with two 
claims, whereas he has now but one." 

"Your Majesty then regards the King, my 
master, as your enemy," said Melvil, calmly. 
"He thinks himself more fortunate, madam, and 
believes himself your ally." 

"No, no," said Elizabeth, coloring; "that was 
17 



258 MARY STUART, 

a mere figure of speech. I meant nothing, and if 
you can find a way of contenting every one I am 
ready to prove my friendship for King James by 
clemency to his mother. So do you seek a means 
of adjustment, and I, too, will endeavor to find 
one." 

With these words Elizabeth dismissed them, 
and they left her presence encouraged by the hope 
she held out to them. The same evening a gen- 
tleman of the court called upon the Honorable 
Mr. Gray, chief of the Scotch embassy, and dur- 
ing the course of the conversation remarked that 
it was very difficult to reconcile Queen Elizabeth's 
safety with the life of her prisoner ; and, further- 
more, that should she or her son ever sit upon the 
throne of England, there would be no security for 
the members of the tribunal who had voted for her 
death. Really, he said, there seemed but one 
way of adjusting the matter, and that was for the 
King of Scotland to renounce his own claim to 
the crown of England ; otherwise, Elizabeth's re- 
gard for her own safety and peace of mind would 
prevent her sparing Queen Mary's life. 

Looking the gentleman squarely in the face, 
Mr. Gray asked him if his sovereign had in- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 259 

structed him to make such a suggestion. The 
gentleman, however, disclaimed any authority in 
the matter, and said that the idea was entirely 
his own and advanced by way of advice only. 
Shortly afterward he took his leave, doubtless 
satisfied by Mr. Gray's manner that such an ab- 
surd proposition would not be entertained for a 
moment. 

At the final audience accorded the Scotch envoys, 
Elizabeth informed them that after mature reflec- 
tion she had discovered no means of assuring her 
own safety and sparing Mary Stuart's life, and was 
consequently unable to grant their King's request. 

To this declaration Mr. Gray replied that his 
orders required him to formally protest, in King 
James' name, to the entire proceedings against 
his mother, insomuch as Queen Elizabeth had no 
jurisdiction over one who was a queen like herself, 
and her equal in rank and birth. He furthermore 
declared that upon learning of the failure of their 
mission. King James would convoke his Parlia- 
ment, and would send messengers to all the princes 
of Christendom, to advise with them how he 
should avenge her whom he had failed to save. 

Elizabeth immediately flew into a passion, and 



26o MARY STUART, 

told the envoys angrily that she knew they were 
not commissioned to deliver any such message to 
her ; but upon their offering to confirm the declar- 
ation made in their King's name by a certified 
copy of their written instructions, she became 
somewhat calmer, and said haughtily that she 
would send an ambassador, who would arrange 
everything with her good friend and ally, the 
King of Scotland. To this Mr. Gray responded 
that his master would listen to no one until they 
had returned and reported the result of their mis- 
sion ; whereupon she requested them not to depart 
immediately, as she had not yet irrevocably de- 
cided the matter. 

During the evening following this audience, 
Lord Hingley called upon Mr. Gray, and ex- 
pressed great admiration for a pair of Italian pis- 
tols. After his departure Mr. Gray handed them 
to a cousin of his lordship's, with the request that 
he present them to Lord Hingley with his compli- 
ments. Delighted with the agreeable commis- 
sion, the young man went at once to the royal 
palace, where his kinsman had apartments, to de- 
liver the gift entrusted to his care; but he had 
hardly entered the palace when he was stopped 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 261 

and searched, and the pistols being found upon 
him — although they were not loaded — he was at 
once arrested. 

The next day it was currently reported that the 
Scotch King's ambassadors had also essayed to 
assassinate the Queen, and that pistols belonging 
to Mr. Gray himself had been found upon the 
would-be murderer. 

Bad faith was so apparent in this affair that the 
Scotchmen could no longer close their eyes to it. 
They were finally convinced that no efforts of 
theirs could save poor Mary Stuart, and reluc- 
tantly leaving her to her fate, they departed for 
Edinburgh. 

Despite her boldness, Elizabeth was fearful of 
the result of a public execution, and recurred to 
her original idea of ridding herself of Mary by 
means of poison or assassination; and scarcely 
had Mr. Gray and his companions left London 
than she sent Davison, her secretary, to Fotherin- 
gay to sound Sir Amyas Paulet with regard to his 
prisoner; but Sir Amyas vowed that no one 
should approach the hapless Queen save the 
executioner, and that even he must come armed 
with a proper warrant. 



262 MARY STUART, 

Davison reported his answer to Elizabeth, who 
tapped the floor impatiently with her foot as she 
listened, and when he had finished could not re- 
strain her anger. 

"God's death!" she cried, "what a scrupulous 
rascal he is ! He prates continually of his devo- 
tion and fidelity, yet refuses to prove it !" 

Elizabeth was therefore forced to come to some 
decision, and on February i, 1587, Lord Burleigh 
having drawn up the warrant for the execution, 
she told Davison to bring it to her ; and, forgetful 
of the fact that her own mother had died upon the 
scaffold, signed it without a tremor. Having or- 
dered the great seal of England to be affixed, she 
said, with a laugh : 

" Now go and tell Walsingham that Mary Stu- 
art's fate is sealed ; but be careful how you break 
the news, for he is in poor health and I fear the 
shock may kill him." 

Her pleasantry was the more brutal as it was 
well known that Walsingham was the Queen of 
Scotland's most implacable enemy. 

Next day Davison told her that the warrant was 
sealed, and she angrily asked why such haste was 
necessary. Next day but one she joked about it 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 263 

and swore a little, but on the evening of the 14th 
she sent for Mr. Beale, Walsingham's brother-in- 
law, and gave him the warrant, with orders for the 
Sheriff of Northamptonshire, the earls of Kent 
and Shrewsbury, and other noblemen and gentry 
whose estates were in the neighborhood of Foth- 
eringay, to be present at the execution. Beale 
took with him the executioner, whom Elizabeth 
had ordered dressed in black velvet for this great 
occasion ; and two hours after receiving his orders 
he left London. 

For two months Queen Mary had been aware 
that her death was approaching, for when Parlia- 
ment confirmed the commissioners' findings she 
was informed of her impending fate by her con- 
fessor, who was permitted to see her for that one 
time. She profited by his visit to hand him three 
letters, which she wrote in his presence — one to 
Pope Sixtus v., one to Don Bernando Mendoza, 
and a third, which ran as follows, to the Duke de 
Guise : 

"December 4, 1586. 

" My Dearest Cousin : Being about to suffer 
death by virtue of an unjust judgment, and such a 
death as none of our race, thank God, has ever 



264 MARY STUART, 

suffered, I write to bid you, my dearest relation, 
farewell. Do not grieve over my fate, but rather 
thank God for it ; for, imprisoned as I have been 
for so many years, I could render no service either 
to God or His Church, whereas I hope that my 
death will bear witness to my constancy in the 
faith and my willingness to suffer for the mainte- 
nance and restoration of the Catholic religion in 
this unhappy island. And, although the execu- 
tioner has never before laid hands on one of our 
blood, be not shamed through my death ; for the 
judgment of heretics, who have no jurisdiction 
over me, a free Queen, will be of profit in God's 
sight and to the children of His Church. Indeed, 
had I agreed to what they proposed, I should not 
have been brought to this pass. Many of our 
family have been persecuted by the fanatics ; for 
example, your own good father, through whose in- 
tercession I hope to receive forgiveness from the 
Almighty Judge. I commend my poor, faithful 
servants to your care, and request you to discharge 
my debts and to provide for a yearly obit for the 
repose of my soul, not at your own expense, but 
by contributions, which you will solicit when you 
have learned my wishes from the poor and devoted 
servants who will witness the last act of my life's 
tragedy. May God prosper you and your family, 
and especially the head of our house, my good 
brother and cousin. May the blessing of God be 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 265 

upon your children, whom I commend to His lov- 
ing care as earnestly as I do my own son, unfilial 
and deluded as he is. You will receive certain of 
my rings, which will remind you to pray for the 
soul of your unfortunate cousin, who is without 
assistance or counsel, save that of Christ, who 
endows her with strength and courage to face the 
pack of ravening wolves who howl for her blood. 
Pray pay particular attention to that which will be 
told you by a person who will give you my ruby 
ring, for I promise that he will faithfully repeat 
my instructions, and especially those touching my 
servants, and the one of them. I recommend this 
person to you for his perfect honesty and sincer- 
ity, and I hope that you will find some suitable 
position for him. I selected him for this mission 
as he is the most impartial of all my adherents, 
and the one who will most accurately repeat my 
wishes. Do not let any one know, I beg, that he 
had a special mission, for the jealousy of others 
might injure him greatly. I have suffered much 
in the past two years, but have been unable to in- 
form you of my condition. God be praised for all 
His works, and give you grace to persevere in the 
service of His Church, and may our family, both 
men and women, be ever ready to shed their blood 
to uphold the faith, leaving all worldly considera- 
tions aside. As for myself, I consider that my 
birth, both on my father's and my mother's side, 



266 MAR V S TUAR T, 

makes it incumbent upon me to offer my blood in 
that behalf, and I do not intend to fail in my duty. 
May Jesus who was crucified for me, and all the 
saints and martyrs, intercede to make my body a 
worthy sacrifice to God's glory. Thinking to 
humble me they cut down my dais, and afterward 
my jailer came and offered to write to his Queen, 
saying it was not done at his behest, but by the 
advice of some of the council. I showed him the 
Cross of Christ hanging over my lowered seat in- 
stead of our royal arms, and since then he has been 
less rough. 

" Your loving friend and devoted cousin, 

" Mary, Queen of Scotland and 
Dowager of France." 

From the day when she learned her sentence, 
Mary abandoned hope, for she knew that her life 
depended on Elizabeth's pardon; and, convinced 
that that would never be accorded her, she pre- 
pared to die. The cold and damp in the various 
prisons in which she had been confined had so 
affected her that at times her limbs were almost 
paralyzed, and she was troubled lest she might be 
in that state when the hour of her execution ar- 
rived, and so be unable to walk to the scaffold 
with a firm and resolute step as she intended to 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 267 

do. She therefore sent for Bourgoin, her physi- 
cian, and told him that she had a presentiment 
that the hour of her death was close at hand, and 
asked him what could be done to prevent a return 
of the rheumatism which paralyzed her move- 
ments. Bourgoin replied that it would be well 
for her to purge herself with a decoction of fresh 
herbs. 

"Go, then," said the Queen, "and in my name 
ask Sir Amyas Paulet to permit you to go into 
the fields and gather them." 

Sir Amyas was himself a great sufferer from 
sciatica and therefore able to appreciate the 
Queen's need ; yet the request, simple as it was, 
met with many obstacles. He said he could do 
nothing in the matter without consulting his col- 
league Drury, but that Master Bourgoin could 
make a list of the herbs he required, and they 
would try to procure them for him. 

Bourgoin replied that he was not sufficiently 
acquainted with English, and the village apothe- 
caries not well enough versed in Latin, for him 
to risk the Queen's life by a chance error on 
either side. At last, after much hesitation, 
Paulet consented to Bourgoin' s gathering the 



268 MARY STUART, 

simples, and the next day the Queen began the 
treatment. 

The Queen's presentiments had not deceived 
her, for about two o'clock on the afternoon of 
February 17th Sir Amyas Paulet went to her 
apartments and announced that the Earls of Kent 
and Shrewsbury and Mr. Beale, a royal messenger, 
desired to speak with her. Mary responded that 
she was ill and in bed, but that if what they had 
to communicate was of serious consequence, and 
they would give her a little time, she would rise 
and receive them. They replied that the commu- 
nication which they had to make admitted of no 
delay, and requested that she prepare to receive 
them. Whereupon Mary rose, put on her morn- 
ing gown, and seated herself by a little table 
where she was accustomed to sit a great part of 
each day. 

Sir Amyas Paulet then ushered in the two 
earls, accompanied by Mr. Beale; behind them, 
drawn by agonizing curiosity, were her favorite 
waiting women and confidential servants. They 
were Renee de Really, Giles Maubray, Jane Ken- 
nedy, Elspeth Curl, Mary Paget, Susan Kercady; 
Dominique Bourgoin, her physician; Pierre Gor- 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 26g 

jon, her apothecary; Jacques Gervais, her sur- 
geon ; Annibal Stewart, her valet ; Didier Sifflatr, 
her butler ; Jean Lauder, her pantler ; and Martin 
Huet, her cook. 

When Elizabeth's messengers of death entered 
the room they saluted Mary deferentially, and the 
Earl of Shrewsbury, standing with uncovered head, 
thus addressed her in English : 

" Madam, the Queen of England, my august 
mistress, has sent me with the Earl of Kent and 
Mr. Beale, here present, to inform you that after 
an impartial and exhaustive investigation of the 
delict of which you have been accused and found 
guilty, and having delayed the execution of the 
sentence as long as possible, she can no longer re- 
sist the importunity of her subjects, who, in their 
affectionate fear for her safety, clamor more and 
more for its execution. To that end we have 
come, madam, bearers of a commission, and we 
humbly request you to listen to the reading 
thereof." 

"Read, my lord, I am listening," responded 
Mary tranquilly. 

Robert Beale then unrolled the commis- 
sion, which was written on parchment and 



2 70 MAR Y S TUAR T, 

sealed with the great seal of State, and read as 
follows : 

" Elizabeth, by the grace of God, Queen of Eng- 
land and Ireland, to our trusty and well-be- 
loved cousins, George, Earl of Shrewsbury; 
Henry, Earl of Kent ; Henry, Earl of Derby ; 
George, Earl of Cumberland; and Henry, 
Earl of Pembroke : — * 

" Greeting: In view of the sentence pronounced 
by us and the members of our council, nobles, and 
judges, against the former Queen of Scotland, 
named Mary Stuart, daughter and heiress of James 
the Fifth, King of Scotland, and commonly called 
Queen of Scotland and Dowager of France ; which 
sentence all the states of our kingdom in our last 
Parliament assembled not only ratified, but after 
mature deliberation declared to be just and reason- 
able; and likewise in view of the prayer of our 
subjects, entreating us to take measures for the 
publication thereof, and for its execution upon her 
person, inasmuch as they consider that she has 
merited her fate, and that her detention is and 
would be a source of daily peril, not to us alone 
but to their posterity and to the welfare of this 
kingdom, as well in the matter of the Gospel and 

* The earls of Cumberland, Derby, and Pembroke disregarded 
Elizabeth's commands, and were not present either at the reading 
of the sentence or at the execution. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 271 

the true religion of Christ, and to the peace and 
tranquillity of this realm, and remonstrating 
against further delay on our part in granting a 
commission to execute said sentence : — In order 
amply to satisfy the prayers of our Parliament, by 
whom we are daily informed that all our loyal 
subjects, of the nobility as well as those of hum- 
bler state, out of their affectionate solicitude for 
our life and consequent dread of the destruction 
of the present happy state of the realm, do desire 
its execution; and being well persuaded of the 
weight of their continual representations, as tend- 
ing toward the security of our person, we have 
finally consented and given order that justice 
be done upon the said Mary Stuart, Queen of 
Scotland. In consideration of our entire confi- 
dence in your fidelity and loyalty, and of your 
affection for our person and our common country, 
of which you are noble and worthy ornaments, we 
commend and enjoin you, upon sight hereof, to 
repair to Fotheringay Castle, where the said 
Queen of Scotland now is, in the keeping of our 
friend and trusty servant. Sir Amyas Paulet, and 
there to take custody of said Queen of Scotland, 
and see to it that by your command execution is 
done upon her in presence of yourselves and Sir 
Amyas Paulet, and of such other officials as you 
shall order to be present in witness thereof. And 
that said execution may be carried out in such 



2/2 MARY STUART, 

manner and form, at such time and place, and by 
such persons as you five, four, three, or two shall 
in your discretion deem fit, all laws, statutes, and 
ordinances to the contrary notwithstanding, we 
have caused the Great Seal of England to be af- 
fixed to these presents, which shall be full and 
sufficient warrant forever for each and all of you 
who shall be present, or shall by your command 
do aught pertaining to said sentence and execu- 
tion. 

" Done at our palace of Greenwich, the first day 
of February, in the twenty-ninth year of our 
reign." 

Mary listened to the reading attentively and 
with great dignity and calmness ; when it was fin- 
ished she crossed herself and said : 

"\yelcome be all that comes in the name of 
God ! I thank Thee, O Lord, that Thou deignest 
to terminate the ills with which for nineteen 
years Thou hast afflicted me." 

"Madam," said the Earl of Kent, "I beg that 
you will bear us no malice because of your con- 
demnation. It was necessary to insure the tran- 
quillity of the State and the growth of the new 
religion." 

" So," cried Mary joyfully, " I am to have the 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 273 

honor of dying for the faith of my fathers ; God 
deigns to accord me the glory of martyrdom. 
Father, I thank Thee," she continued, joining her 
hands, her face transfigured with religious fervor, 
"' that Thou permittest me to make such an end- 
ing. It proves that Thou hast not forsaken me 
and wilt receive me amongst Thy servants in 
Heaven. From the manner in which I have been 
treated for nineteen years," she continued, ad- 
dressing the earls, " I feared I was not so near a 
happy ending of my sad life. I could not believe 
that your Queen would dare to lift her hand 
against one who, by the grace of God, is like her- 
self an anointed Queen, the daughter of a king, 
her nearest relative, like herself the granddaugh- 
ter of Henry VH,, and who has had the honor to 
be Queen of France, of which kingdom I am still 
Queen Dowager. My fear was augmented," she 
added, placing her hand on a copy of the New 
Testament, which lay on the little table at her 
side, "because I never persecuted her, nor con- 
sented to any attempt upon her life, nor have I 
ever desired her death — upon this holy book I 
swear that I speak the truth and nothing but the 

truth." 

18 



274 MAR'y STUART, 

"Madam," rejoined the Earl of Kent, taking a 
step toward her and pointing toward the Testa- 
ment, " that book upon which you swear is itself 
false, for it is the Papist version, and in conse- 
quence your oath is as unreliable as the book upon 
which it is taken." 

"My lord," answered the Queen patiently, 
" what you say might be true in your case, but it 
is not in mine ; for we do not hold the same opin- 
ions. I believe this book to be the only true and 
faithful version of the Saviour's life and teach- 
ing — a version made by a wise and godly man 
and approved by the Church." 

"Your Grace's mind has been formed on the 
instruction received in your youth," the Earl re- 
plied, " and you have never inquired for yourself 
what was good or bad ; and it is not astonishing 
that you should still be in error when none has 
ever shown you the truth. Now, as your Grace's 
hours are numbered, and there is no time to lose, 
we will, with your permission, send for the Dean 
of Peterborough, a most learned theologian, who 
will gladly instruct you to the salvation of your 
soul, which, to our great grief and that of our 
august Queen, you endanger by persisting in these 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 275 

Papist follies and abominations which lead Catho- 
lics away from the word of God and knowledge of 
the truth." 

" You err, my lord," answered the Queen gen- 
tly, " if you think I grew thoughtlessly to woman- 
hood in the faith of my fathers, and never seri- 
ously studied a question of such vast importance 
as religion. I grew up surrounded by learned 
men, who instructed me thoroughly upon such 
matters, and since I have been deprived of their 
words I have studied their works. I have never 
doubted the truth of the Church's teaching, and 
my faith will not falter now, in the hour of my 
death. The Earl of Shrewsbury can tell you that 
when I first came to England I passed one whole 
Lenten season listening to your learned theolo- 
gians, without being in the least moved or im- 
pressed by their arguments. It would, therefore," 
she added, with a smile, " be altogether useless to 
send for the Dean of Peterborough, however 
learned he may be ; but I should be grateful be- 
yond measure if you would kindly send me my 
chaplain, who is kept imprisoned in this castle, 
and who would console and prepare me for death ; 
or, if that is impossible, I would welcome any 



2 "je MAR V S TUAR T, 

other priest, it matters not whom — the curate of 
a poor village will be gladly received — for I am 
no harder to please than God, and do not ask that 
he have learning if only he have faith." 

" I regret, madam," responded the Earl, " that 
I must refuse your request ; but to grant it would 
be contrary to our religion and consciences, and 
we should lay ourselves open to grave reproach. 
It is for that reason that we offer you the services 
of the venerable Dean, with the certitude that 
your Grace will derive more comfort and satisfac- 
tion from him than from all the bishops, priests, 
and vicars of the Catholic Church." 

"Thank you, my lord," responded the Queen 
quietly; "but I do not desire to see the Dean, 
and as I am innocent of the crime for which I am 
to die, I trust that God will accept my martyrdom 
in lieu of the Church's last sacraments. And 
now, permit me to recall to your mind, my lord, 
that I have but a few hours to live; that brief 
space I should prefer to spend in prayer and medi- 
tation, and not in fruitless discussion." 

At that she rose, and with a courteous salute to 
the assembled gentlemen, indicated by a dignified 
gesture that she desired to be left alone and in 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 277 

peace. As they were about to leave the room, 
she said : 

"You have not told me, gentlemen, at what 
hour I am to die." 

"At about eight o'clock to-morrow morning, 
madam," stammered the Earl of Shrewsbury. 

"It is well," said Mary; "but did you bring 
me no reply from my sister Elizabeth, to a letter 
which I wrote her about a month ago.?" 

" What was the purport of the letter, madam .?" 
asked the Earl of Kent. 

" I wrote regarding my funeral and interment, 
my lord, and asked to be buried beside the late 
Queen, my mother, in the Cathedral at Rheims." 

"That cannot be," he answered; "but the 
Queen, my august mistress, will provide suitably 
for your obsequies, and I trust you will not dis- 
quiet yourself about such details." 

" I should like to know," continued the Queen 
steadily, " whether my servants will be permitted 
to return to their homes with the pittance I shall 
leave them. It will not be much, and will not 
requite them their long service and the imprison- 
ment they have endured because of me." 

"We ,are not authorized to promise that, mad- 



278 MAE Y STUART, 

am," the Earl answered; "but we think that 
everything will be done in accordance with your 
wishes. Is that all that your Grace desires to say 
to us?" 

" Yes, my lord," said the Queen, bowing a sec- 
ond time, "and you may now withdraw." 

" One moment, my lords ; in Heaven's name, 
one moment !" cried the aged physician, leaving 
the ranks of the servants and falling on his knees 
before the earls. 

*'What do you wish.?" demanded the Earl of 
Shrewsbury. 

" To impress upon your lordships," replied the 
old man, weeping, " how little time you accord her 
Majesty for preparation for the great trial before 
her. Consider her birth and rank, my lords, and 
the position she held among the princes of Chris- 
tendom, and judge if it is proper to treat her like 
an ordinary person under sentence of death. 
And, if you will not grant a little time for this 
noble lady's sake, do it in mercy to us, her un- 
happy servants, who, having had the honor to 
serve her so many years, cannot bear to part from 
her so suddenly and without preparation. More- 
over, my lords, consider that a woman of her rank 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 279 

and position requires time to settle her affairs; 
and, in God's name, what will become of us if our 
dear mistress has not time to regulate her ac- 
counts and arrange her papers ? She has services 
to remunerate, pious works to provide for, and she 
will be compelled to neglect one or the other ; we 
know that she will give all her time to our mat- 
ters, and so neglect her own spiritual welfare. 
Grant her, therefore, a few days' grace, I implore 
you ! Our mistress is too proud to ask such a fa- 
vor for herself, but I humbly beseech it in the 
name of all her household, and implore you not to 
refuse a few poor servants a favor which your au- 
gust Queen would certainly not refuse if they 
could lay the petition at her feet." 

" Is it true, madam," Robert Beale asked, " that 
you have not made your will .?" 

"I have not done so, sir," answered the 
Queen. 

" In that case, my lords," said Beale, " it would 
perhaps be well to grant her Grace a few days' re- 
spite." 

" Impossible, sir," responded the Earl of 
Shrewsbury; "the time is set, and we have no 
right to change it by so much as a minute." 



28o MARY STUART, 

"Enough, Bourgoin, enough," said the Queen. 
" I command you to rise." 

Bourgoin obeyed, and the Earl of Shrewsbury 
turned to Sir Amyas Paulet, who stood behind 
him, and said : 

" Sir Amyas, we leave this lady in your keep- 
ing. You will look well to her and guard her 
safely until our return." 

He then left the room, followed by the other 
gentlemen, and the Queen was left alone with her 
servants. 

As the door closed behind Elizabeth's messen- 
gers, Mary turned to her women with a face as 
serene as if the news she had just received was of 
trifling importance. 

" Well, Jane," she said, " did I not always tell 
you that they desired my death, and that I was too 
great an obstacle in the path of this new religion 
to be allowed to live.? Come," she added, "let 
supper be served at once, so that I may have time 
to put my affairs in order." 

Then, seeing that, instead of obeying, her ser- 
vants stood weeping and lamenting, she said, 
smiling sadly, but with dry eyes : " This is not a 
time for tears ; on the contrary, if you love me, 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 281 

you should rejoice that God permits me to die for 
His cause, and relieves me from further suffering. 
I am thankful that He permits me to die for the 
glory of His Church, and I beg you all to accept 
my fate meekly and bravely. And now, while 
the men prepare supper, we women will pray." 

Sobbing and weeping, the men left the room, 
and the Queen and her women fell on their knees. 
When they had repeated several prayers, Mary 
rose, and sending for what money she still pos- 
sessed, she cpunted it and divided it in portions, 
which she placed in separate purses and marked 
them with the names of those for whom they were 
intended. As she completed this task supper was 
served, and she took her place at table with her 
women as was her custom. Bourgoin waited upon 
her as he had been in the habit of doing since her 
steward was sent away, and she ate neither more 
nor less than usual, speaking much of the Earl of 
Kent and his insistence about sending her a pro- 
fessor of the new religion instead of a priest. 

" Happily," she said, smiling, " it requires a 
more able casuist than he to induce me to change 
my faith." 

While the Queen smiled and chatted, Bourgoin 



282 " MARY STUART, 

stood behind her chair, weeping silently. He 
could not dispel the thought that she who talked 
so serenely would, when that hour came round 
again, be but cold and senseless clay. 

When the repast was ended the Queen sum- 
moned all her servants, and, pouring out a glass 
of wine, rose to her feet and drank their healths. 
She then requested them to drink to her salvation ; 
a glass was handed to each one, and they all knelt 
(so says the chronicle from which we take these 
details) and solemnly drank the touching toast, 
mingling their tears with their wine, and begging 
her forgiveness for any faults of which they might 
have been guilty. Mary willingly forgave them 
and asked that they should do as much for her, 
and forget any impatience or injustice she might 
have shown, telling them to attribute her testy 
moods to her captivity. She then spoke to them 
at length upon their duty toward God and the 
Church, exhorting them to continue in the Catho- 
lic faith, and beseeching them, when she should 
be no more, to live at peace with one another and 
to forget the petty quarrels and discussions which 
had marred their harmony in the past. 

This discourse finished^ the Queen turned from 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 283 

the table and prepared to descend to her wardrobe 
and see what clothing and jewelry she had to dis- 
pose of ; but Bourgoin suggested that it would be 
better to have all her effects brought to her apart- 
ment, as it would be less fatiguing and, moreover, 
would prevent the English from spying. The last 
argument determined the Queen, and while the 
men were at supper she had her women bring all 
her clothing, took the inventory from the mistress 
of the wardrobe, and began to write on the margin 
the name of the person for whom each article was 
intended, the recipient immediately taking the 
garment designated and laying it aside. Such 
articles as were not suitable to be so disposed of 
she ordered sold, and commanded that the money 
thus secured should be used to defray her servants' 
travelling expenses to their ^homes, knowing the 
cost would be heavy and that none of them was 
prepared to bear it. When the memorandum was 
completed, she signed it and gave it to the mis- 
tress of the wardrobe in release of further respon- 
sibility. 

She then went to her bedroom, whither her jew- 
elry and most valuable personal property had been 
taken, looked everything over carefully, and dis- 



284 MARY STUART, 

tributed them as she had her dresses, so that none 
of those who served her were forgotten. To those 
whom she considered most trustworthy, she con- 
fided the jewels which were destined for her son, 
the King and Queen of France, the Queen Mother, 
and the Dukes of Guise and Lorraine. 

She furthermore expressed the desire that each 
of her servants should retain the articles which 
had been their special care — that the linen should 
go to the maid who had looked after it, her em- 
broidery to the one who had it in charge, her sil- 
ver to her butler, etc. When her servants asked 
her to give them quit-claims, she answered that 
they would be useless, as what she had given 
them was her personal property, and that in a few 
hours there would be no one to lay claim to it ; 
but when they reminded her that the King, her son, 
might put forward a claim, she admitted the wisdom 
of their request, and gave them what they asked. 

This finished, and having no longer any hope 
that her confessor would be permitted to visit her, 
she wrote the following letter : 

" Dear and Reverend Father : — I have been 
harassed because of my religious beliefs and im- 
portuned to receive the ministrations of a heretic. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 285 

You will learn from Bourgoin that I was unmoved 
by anything they said, and that I made a firm 
declaration of the faith in which I propose to die. 
I requested that you be permitted to receive my 
confession and administer the sacrament, but that 
solace was cruelly refused me, as well as my re- 
quests that my body should be taken to France 
and that I be allowed to make my will without 
hindrance, so that I can write nothing save under 
their eyes and subject to their mistress' pleasure. 
Being thus prevented from seeing you, I here con- 
fess my sins in general, as I would have done in 
detail had the opportunity been given me, and I 
beseech you, in God' s name, to watch and pray 
with me this night for the forgiveness of my sins, 
and to send me absolution, and your pardon for any 
wrong I may unwittingly have done you. I will 
strive to see you in their presence, as I am to be 
permitted to see my old steward, and if my en- 
deavors are successful I will ask your blessing on 
my knees before them all. Send me the most fer- 
vent and comforting prayers you know of for to- 
night and to-morrow morning, for my time is 
limited and I have not the leisure to write. Do 
not be troubled, for I have recommended you to 
the care of my friends, as I have all my household, 
and a benefice will certainly be given you. Fare- 
well, for I have no more time to write ; send me by 
the hand of the bearer such prayers and ex-. 



286 MARY STUART, 

hortations as are best suited to my state and 
eternal salvation. I send you my last little 
ring." 

When she had finished this letter she set about 
making her will, and covered two large sheets of 
paper with the expression of her wishes regarding 
the distribution of her property ; distributing the 
little that remained to her with scrupulous equity 
and rather according to the beneficiary's needs 
than his services. The executors she selected 
were her cousins, the Duke of Guise, the Arch- 
bishop of Glasgow, the Bishop of Ross, her first 
chaplain, and M. de Ruysseau, her chancellor; all 
four were eminently proper selections for the posi- 
tion, the first because of his rank and influence, 
the bishops because of their standing as pious, 
conscientious men, and the fourth because of his 
knowledge of her affairs. Her testament drawn, 
Mary wrote the following letter to the King of 
France : 

" Honored Sir and Brother : — Having by the 
will of God, and probably because of my sins, 
placed myself in the power of my cousin. Queen 
Elizabeth, and having for twenty years suffered 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 287 

grievously by her will, I am at last, by her, con- 
demned to death. I asked for the papers which 
had been taken from me in order to make my last 
will, but this was denied me, as was permission to 
legally set forth my last wishes, and likewise my 
request that my body be taken to your kingdom, 
where I once had the honor to reign. My sen- 
tence was read to me this afternoon with as little 
ceremony as though I was a common criminal, and 
I am to be executed at eight o'clock to-morrow 
morning ; I have not, therefore, the time to relate 
in detail all that has happened, but if you will 
deign to hear my physician, and others of my 
broken-hearted household, you will receive a 
truthful account of all that occurs and learn that, 
praise be to God, I die fearlessly, though I protest 
against my execution, being innocent of any 
crime, and moreover, not being an English subject. 
My steadfast adherence to the Catholic faith and 
my claims to the English throne are the veritable 
causes of my condemnation ; they will not admit 
that I die for my religion, nevertheless they have 
taken my chaplain from me, and, although he is 
confined in this very castle, they will not permit 
him to hear my last confession or to administer 
extreme unction — but they have been most per- 
sistent in their endeavors to make me accept the 
ministrations of a schismatic, whom they brought 
here with that purpose in view. The bearer of 



288 MARY STUART, 

this letter and the rest of my servants, who are for 
the most part your subjects, will bear witness 
to the manner in which I performed this last duty ; 
and it now only remains for me to beseech you as 
a most Christian King, my brother-in-law and long- 
time ally, to demonstrate the affection you have 
often protested for me by relieving my conscience 
of a burden of which I cannot free it without 
your aid, — that is to say, to reward my desolate 
servants, over and above their wages, and also to 
cause prayers to be offered for one who was called 
a most Christian Queen and who dies in the 
Catholic faith, sick, impoverished, and imprisoned. 
As regards my son, I beg your Majesty to show 
him such friendship as he may merit, for I cannot 
answer for his conduct ; but I implore you to take 
an interest in my poor servants, whom I commend 
to you unreservedly and with all my heart. I have 
ventured to send you two rare stones which possess 
health-giving virtues, desiring that you may enjoy 
perfect health for many years to come ; pray accept 
them in token of the deep affection of your dying 
sister-in-law. I recommend my servants to you 
in a memorandum, and request you, for the salva- 
tion of my soul, in whose behalf it will be ex- 
pended, to order a part of your indebtedness to me 
to be paid, that I may leave enough to found an 
obit and to bestow the necessary alms. I conjure 
you, for the honor of Christ, whose mercy I will 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 289 

implore for you in my dying hour, to fulfil these 
my last wishes. 

" Your affectionate sister, 

"Mary R. 

" Wednesday, two hours after midnight." 

The Queen had copies made of all these docu- 
ments, including her will, so that if the originals 
fell into the hands of the English, the others might 
reach their destinations. Bourgoin suggested that 
it was inadvisable to hasten to seal them, as later 
she might think of something she would desire to 
add ; but the Queen declined to follow his advice, 
saying she was sure she had thought of everything, 
and that, even if something were omitted, she had 
no further time for the affairs of earth, but must 
pray and make ready to meet her Maker. She then 
signed and sealed every document and placed them 
in the drawer of a wardrobe, the key of which she 
gave to Bourgoin; a foot-bath was then brought 
her, and she remained in it for about ten minutes 
and then went to bed, but not to sleep, for her at- 
tendants observed that her lips moved constantly 
as if in prayer. 

Toward four in the morning the Queen, who had 
long been in habit of having the life of some saint 
19 



290 MAR Y STUAR T, 

read to her at the close of her evening devotion, 
requested Jane Kennedy to read the story of the 
repentant thief who was crucified with Christ, 
saying, with great humility, that although he was 
a great sinner he was less culpable than she, and 
that she would pray him, in memory of Christ's 
passion, to intercede for her in the hour of her 
death. 

When the reading was at an end she ordered all 
her handkerchiefs brought to her, and selected the 
handsomest, which was of fine batiste, embroidered 
with gold thread, for a bandage for her eyes. 

At dawn she rose and began to dress ; but be- 
fore she had completed her toilet Bourgoin came 
in and begged that she would summon all her 
household and read her will to them, because he 
feared that there might be some dissatisfaction 
after her death, and that those who had not been 
immediately about her when it was made might 
accuse her personal attendants of having influenced 
her to increase their portions at the expense of 
their absent fellows. 

Thinking this a wise suggestion, the Queen sent 
for all her people, and after telling them that her 
will had been made freely, and begging that each 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 29 1 

person there present would do all in his power 
to insure the fulfilment of her wishes, without 
omission or change, she read the document to 
them in a clear voice ; then, having received their 
promise to abide by its conditions, she confided 
the instrument to Bourgoin, charging him to place 
it in the hands of M. de Guise, her principal exec- 
utor, together with her letters and other impor- 
tant papers. She then asked for the. casket where- 
in she had placed the purses of which we spoke 
before, opened them one after another, and on see- 
ing by the slip she had placed in each for whom 
it was intended, gave it to that person with her 
own hand, none of the recipients knowing what 
his purse contained : the gifts varied from twenty 
to three hundred crowns, none receiving less than 
the smaller nor more than the larger sum. To 
these she added seven hundred pounds to be given 
to the poor, two hundred to those in England, and 
five hundred to those in France, and to each man 
in her service she gave two rose nobles to be dis- 
tributed in alms at his discretion ; lastly, she gave 
a hundred and fifty crowns to Bourgoin, to be di- 
vided among them at the moment of their separa- 
tion. All this the Queen accomplished without 



292 MAI^y STUART, 

any display of emotion, and bade them good-by 
serenely and calmly with words of cheer, rather as 
if preparing for a journey, or a change of abode, 
than taking final leave of those who loved her 
dearly and had served her faithfully. 

When her toilet was completed she went from 
her bedroom to the antechamber, where there was 
an altar at which, before she was deprived of his 
services, her chaplain was accustomed to celebrate 
mass; she knelt upon the steps, her servants 
kneeling around her, and began to recite the pray- 
ers of the communion service, When she had 
finished she drew from her pocket a little gold 
box containing a wafer consecrated by Pope Pius 
v., which she had always carefully preserved for 
the time of her death, and, handing it to Bourgoin, 
bade him perform the office of the priest who was 
denied her, as he was the oldest of her servitors, 
and age was a venerable and holy thing ; thus, de- 
spite the pains taken to deprive her of that conso- 
lation, Mary Stuart received the blessed sacrament 
of the Lord's Supper. 

Upon the conclusion of this solemn ceremony, 
Bourgoin informed the Queen that in making her 
will she had forgotten to mention her chaplain, 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 293 

Mile. Beauregard, and Mile, de Montbrun. Greatly 
surprised at this omission, which was altogether 
unintentional, Mary opened the will and rapidly 
expressed her wishes regarding them in a codicil ; 
she then knelt again and resumed her prayers, but 
was shortly obliged to rise, as the sciatica from 
which she suffered rendered the position too pain- 
ful. Bourgoin brought some bread and wine and 
she ate and drank, and when she had finished gave 
her hand to the old man, and thanked him sweetly 
for having waited upon her at her last meal ; then, 
having regained a little strength, she once more 
knelt to pray. 

She had been but a few moments on her knees 
when some one knocked at the door ; the Queen 
realized what it meant, but as she had not finished 
her prayers she requested those who had come for 
her to wait a few moments, promising to be ready 
in a very short time. 

The Earls of Kent and Shrewsbury, recalling 
her resistance when she was required to go before 
the commissioners, ordered a number of guards up 
to the anteroom where they were waiting, so that 
they might be prepared to take her to the block 
by force in case she refused to accompany them 



294 MARY STUART, 

quietly, or her servants made any attempt to de- 
fend her. In accordance with the Queen's request 
they waited some minutes ; then, as eight o'clock 
had struck, they again knocked ; to their surprise 
the door was immediately opened, and they found 
the Queen still on her knees. 

Sir Thomas Andrews, who was then Sheriff of 
Northamptonshire, entered the room alone bear- 
ing a white staff in his hand, and as Mary and her 
household remained absorbed in prayer, he slowly 
crossed the apartment and halted behind the Queen. 
He stood there for an instant; then, as she did 
not appear to see him, he touched her shoulder 
lightly with his staff, saying : 

" Madam, I am sent to fetch you." 

The Queen immediately rose, leaving her prayer 
unfinished. " Let us go," she said, and made 
ready to follow him; whereupon Bourgoin took 
down the ebony cross with a Christ in ivory upon 
it, which hung above the altar, and offered it to 
her, saying: 

" Would your Majesty not like to carry this lit- 
tle crucifix.-*" 

" Thanks for the reminder," replied the Queen, 
*' I intended to take it, but had forgotten." 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 295 

She handed the crucifix to Annibal Stewart, her 
valet, to be given to her when she should ask for 
it, and walked toward the door, leaning heavily 
upon Bourgoin, because of the great pain in her 
limbs ; but on reaching the door the old physician 
suddenly withdrew his arm. 

" Your Majesty knows," he said, with tears 
streaming down his cheeks, " that we all love you 
and would gladly obey you, even though you com- 
manded us to lay down our lives for you, — but I, for 
one, have not the courage to support you further; 
nor is it seemly that we, who would shed our 
heart's blood for you, should seem to betray you 
by delivering you thus into the hands of your 
enemies." 

" You are right, Bourgoin," the Queen an- 
swered ; " and, moreover, my death would be a sad 
spectacle for you, and one which I ought not to 
inflict upon your years and your affection. Sir 
Sheriff," she continued, " I pray you summon one to 
support me, for you see that I cannot walk unaided." 

Sir Thomas respectfully inclined his head and 
signed to two of the soldiers whom he had sum- 
moned to assist him in case the Queen offered 
any resistance, to approach and support her, which 



296 MARY STUART, 

they instantly did, and leaning on them Mary con- 
tinued on her way surrounded by her weeping ser- 
vants; but at the second door guards barred her 
people's passage, saying that they could accompany 
her no further. They cried out with one voice 
against such an order, saying that they had been 
for nineteen years in the Queen's service, had fol- 
lowed her from prison to prison, and that it was 
wicked to deprive their mistress of their services 
in her last moments, that such an order had doubt- 
less been issued because some abominable torture 
was to be inflicted on her which it was not prudent 
to allow them to witness. 

Bourgoin, seeing that neither threats nor prayers 
were of the slightest use, demanded to speak with 
the earls, but no attention was paid to his request, 
and when the servants essayed to force a passage 
the guards beat them back with the butts of their 
arquebuses, seeing which, the Queen strove to in- 
terfere. 

" My Lord," she said, addressing the Sheriff, 
"it is cruel of you to prevent my. servants follow- 
ing me, and, like them, I begin to believe that, 
aside from beheading me, you have some evil de- 
sign upon me." 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 297 

"Madam," he replied, "four of your servants 
have been designated to attend you, and when you 
have descended they will be sent for and will join 
you." 

"What!" exclaimed the Queen, "cannot even 
those four accompany me now ?" 

"The earls' orders were that they should be 
brought down after you, madam," replied the 
Sheriff, " and to my great regret I cannot depart 
from them." 

The Queen sighed heavily, but offered no 
further objections, and taking the crucifix from 
Stewart, and her prayer-book and handkerchief 
from one of her women, she turned and 
said: 

" My friends, we are called upon to bear a new 
and unlooked-for grief and humiliation; let us 
bear it like Christians and offer this fresh sacrifice 
to Almighty God." 

The heartbroken servants made no further effort 
to control themselves, but gave full sway to their 
grief ; crying and sobbing they fell on their knees 
around the Queen, kissing her hands, her dress, 
her feet, and addressing her by every endearing 
title, besought her to pardon their faults and to in- 



298 MARY STUART, 

tercede for them when she should be a saint in 
Heaven. 

Even the Sheriff and guards were touched by 
•the scene, but at last, feeling it was unnerving 
every one. Sir Thomas waved his hand, whereupon 
the guards thrust them all, men and women alike, 
back into the Queen's apartments and closed the 
door upon them, but even through the barrier 
Mary could hear the sound of their grief, which 
seemed determined to accompany her to the scaf- 
fold, despite the guards. 

At the head of the stairs the Queen found her 
steward, Andrew Melvill, who had been separated 
from her for a long time, and who had finally ob- 
tained permission to see her once again. On per- 
ceiving him the Queen quickened her pace, and 
reaching his side, fell on her knees before the old 
man and besought his blessing, which he gave her 
solemnly through his fast-flowing tears. 

"Melvill," she said, still kneeling, "you have 
been my faithful friend and servant — be the same 
to my son ; go to him when I am no more and 
relate the details of my death ; tell him that I wish 
him every earthly blessing, and pray God to let the 
light of His countenance shine upon him." 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 299 

"Your Majesty," replied Melvill brokenly, 
" that is surely the saddest message with which a 
man could be entrusted, but I swear to deliver it 
faithfully/' 

"Ah, Melvill," said the Queen, as he assisted 
her to rise, " you could carry no better news to 
any one who loved me than that I am at last de- 
livered from life's ills. Tell my son that I die 
innocent of any crime and firm in the Catholic 
faith, and that I forgive those who are responsible 
for my death. Say to him that I have always 
wished to see Scotland and England united, and 
that I have done nothing which could injure his 
realm, or prejudice his standing as a sovereign 
prince; and now, my good friend, farewell until 
we meet in Heaven." 

Leaning on the old man, whose face was wet 
with tears, she descended the stairs and was met 
at the foot by the two earls. Sir Henry Talbot, 
Sir Amyas Paulet, Mr. Beale, and a number of the 
gentlemen of the neighboring country ; the Queen 
advanced toward them with quiet dignity, and, 
addressing the earls, complained of the separation 
from her servants and requested that they be per- 
mitted to join her. After a brief conference, the 



300 MAEY STUART, 

Earl of Kent asked her to name six of her house- 
hold whom she would like to have with her, saying 
that number might accompany her. 

The Queen selected Bourgoin, Gorjon, Gervais, 
and Didier among the men, and Jane Kennedy and 
Elspeth Curie among the women, they being her 
favorites, although the latter was the sister of the 
secretary who had betrayed her. But here a new 
difficulty arose, the earls protesting that their per- 
mission did not extend to women, as they were 
unaccustomed to such spectacles and likely to 
create a disturbance. 

" I will answer for my women's self-control," 
said the Queen, "poor souls, they only hope to 
perform some last service for me, and to sustain 
me by their presence, and, for the honor of your 
mistress, who is both virgin and Queen, and there- 
fore keenly alive to a woman's sensibility, I hope 
your orders are not so strict that you cannot grant 
my only request, which is to have a woman near me 
in my last moments. Moreover," she added mourn- 
fully, " I think something might be conceded to my 
rank, for, despite my forlorn and helpless position, 
I am your sovereign's own cousin. Dowager of 
France, and anointed Queen of Scotland." 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 301 

The nobles again consulted together and finally 
granted her request, and sent two soldiers to con- 
duct her people to the hall. 

The Queen then went toward the place of exe- 
cution, preceded by the Sheriff and supported by 
two of Sir Amyas Paulet's squires, while Andrew 
Melvill carried her train. She had made as elab- 
orate a toilet as her circumstances permitted, and 
wore a lace-trimmed head-dress of white muslin 
with a veil thrown back over her shoulders and 
falling almost to the floor. Her gown was of 
black brocaded satin with a long train and flowing 
sleeves, bordered with sable and fastened with 
large pearl and jet buttons; it opened over a 
quilted petticoat of black satin, above which she 
wore a low bodice of crimson satin laced behind 
and trimmed with velvet of the same color. 
Around her neck was a string of beads carved from 
scented wood, to which a golden crucifix was at- 
tached, and two rosaries hung from her girdle. 

A low scaffold, some two feet from the floor 
and twelve feet square, surrounded by a railing 
and covered with black cloth, had been erected in 
the great hall ; upon it was a stool, a cushion for 
kneeling, and the block, all draped in black like 



302 MAHY STUART, 

the platform. As the Queen stepped upon the 
fatal planks, the executioner advanced and knelt 
upon one knee to ask her forgiveness for the deed 
he was about to do ; he essayed to hide the axe 
which he carried by holding it behind him, but the 
Queen saw it and exclaimed : 

"Ah, I would far rather be beheaded with a 
sword as is done in France !" 

" It is not my fault, madam," replied the man, 
" that this last wish cannot be gratified, for I was 
not instructed to bring a sword, and finding noth- 
ing here but this axe, I must perforce use it, but I 
hope that will not prevent your forgiving me." 

" I forgive you freely," Mary answered, extend- 
ing her hand for him to kiss. 

Having touched his lips to the Queen's hand, 
the man rose and brought forward the stool, upon 
which Mary seated herself. The Earls cf Kent 
and Shrewsbury then took their places on her left, 
the Sheriff and his men on her right, and Sir Am- 
yas Paulet behind her. Mr. Beale then advanced 
and began to read the sentence for the second time. 
While he was reading the opening words her ser- 
vants entered the hall and were conducted to a 
place behind the scaffold ; the men mounted on a 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 303 

bench which stood against the wall and the women 
knelt before it ; at the same moment the Queen's 
little spaniel, of whom she was very fond, slipped 
into the hall noiselessly, as if fearing he would be 
driven out, crept to his mistress' side and lay down. 

The Queen listened listlessly to the reading of 
her sentence, as if it did not concern her, and her 
expression throughout was as calm as if it was a 
pardon and not a death-warrant ; when Beale had 
finished and cried, "God save her Majesty," with- 
out evoking any response, Mary rose, crossed her- 
self, and without betraying any agitation, but with 
a serene and beautiful expression, began to speak: 

" My lords," she said, " I was born a Queen, a 
sovereign princess not subject to the laws, nearly 
related to your Queen and her lawful successor ; I 
am not an English subject, nor justly amenable to 
the laws of this country wherein I have so long 
been imprisoned and endured great suffering and 
humiliation, and wherein, to crown all, I am about 
to lose my life. I call all here present to witness 
that I die in the Catholic faith, thankful that God 
has permitted me to suffer for His holy Church, 
and protesting that I never conspired against the 
Queen of England nor desired her death, but that, 



304 MAI^V STUART, 

on the contrary, I have repeatedly offered her good 
and reasonable conditions for the settlement of the 
troubles in her kingdom and my deliverance from 
captivity ; this, my lords, you know to be true, and 
also that she has never honored me with a reply. 
My enemies have at last attained their object and 
accomplished my death ; I forgive them as I do all 
those who have injured me. After my death my 
persecutors, who are the contrivers and perpetrators 
of the plots of which I am falsely accused, will be 
known — but I die without accusing any one, as- 
sured that God will avenge me." 

The Queen was here interrupted by the Dean 
of Peterborough, who, perhaps fearing that such 
words from so lovely and exalted a woman would 
excite her auditors' sympathy, or because so many 
words caused too great delay, stepped to the plat- 
form and, leaning upon the barrier in front of 
Mary, said: 

" Madam, my august mistress bade me come to 
you " 

*' Sir Dean," interrupted the Queen, in a firm 
tone, " I have no need of your services ; I do not 
wish to hear you, and I beg that you will desist." 

" Madam," persisted the Dean, " I implore you 



QUEEN OE SCOTS. 30S 

to reflect that you have but a few moments more 
to live, a brief space in which you may yet abjure 
your false doctrines. I beseech you to repudiate 
Catholic fallacies and rest your faith on Jesus 
Christ alone, that through Him you may be 
saved." 

" Nothing that you can say will induce me to 
forsake my religion," responded the Queen firmly, 
" and I therefore beg that you will be silent and 
let me die in peace." 

Perceiving that he was determined to continue 
his exhortations, she turned her back on him and 
seated herself upon the stool ; but the Dean im- 
mediately made the circuit of the scaffold and 
faced her on the other side, thereupon Mary turned 
a second time, and seeing that nothing could shake 
hei determination the Earl of Shrewsbury said : 

" Madam, we are deeply grieved by your per- 
sistence in the follies and errors of papacy, and, 
with your permission, we will pray for you." 

" I shall be grateful for your prayers, my lord," 

the Queen replied, "for the intention is kindly; 

but I cannot join in them, for we are not of the 

same faith." 

Thereupon the Dean knelt upon the scaffold 
20 



306 MAR Y STUAR T", 

steps, and while the Queen upon her stool was 
praying in an undertone he prayed in a loud 
voice, all present, save Mary and her servants, 
repeating the words after him. In the midst of 
his prayer the Queen knelt, and raising the crucifix 
before her, began to repeat the Latin prayers for 
the dying in a clear voice; after a moment the 
Dean's voice ceased and she continued to pray, 
but in English, so that all might understand her, 
for the afflicted Church of Christ, for an end to 
the persecution of Catholics, and for the peaceful 
and prosperous reign of her son, fervently declar- 
ing that she hoped to be saved through the merits 
and mediation of Jesus Christ, for the edification 
of whose Church her blood was about to be shed. 

At these words the Earl of Kent could contain 
himself no longer. 

" Zounds, madam !" he exclaimed, regardless 
of the solemnity of the moment, "take Jesus 
Christ into your heart, and cast out such papist 
rubbish !" 

Mary, however, continued to pray and to im- 
plore the intercession of the saints, closing her 
petition with these words : 

" Blessed Lord and Saviour, pardon my offences 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 307 

and receive me in the arms which were out- 
stretched for me upon the cross." 

As she rose from her knees the Earl of Kent 
asked if she was not ready to make a confession. 

" No," she replied firmly, " I am guiltless of 
the crimes attributed to me, and have, therefore, 
nothing to confess to man." 

r 

"In that case, madam," said the earl, "all 

« 
the formalities are fulfilled and you must now 

prepare for the end." 

The Queen arose calmly, and as the executioner 
approached to uncover her head and neck she said 
quietly : 

" Let me do it, my friend ; I know better than 
you how it should be done, and I am not accus- 
tomed to being undressed before so much company 
nor by such an attendant." 

She then called her women and began to take 
the pins from her head-dress, and, as they could 
not restrain their tears, she said to them in 
French : 

" Do not break down, for I promised that you 
would control yourselves." 

She then began to remove her clothing, assist- 
ing her women as she was accustomed to do when 



3oB MARY STUART. 

retiring for the night ; taking the chain from her 
neck she handed it to Jane Kennedy, saying to 
the executioner : 

" My friend, I know all that I now wear is 
rightfully yours, but for this symbol you have no 
use and I hope you will permit me to give it to 
this young lady, who will pay you double its value 
in money." 

But the executioner hardly let her finish speak- 
ing ere he snatched it from her hand. "It is my 
perquisite," he exclaimed roughly. 

The Queen manifested no emotion at his bru- 
tality, and continued to remove her outer garments 
until she stood in her bodice and petticoat. She 
then sat down on the stool and Jane Kennedy took 
from her pocket the handkerchief she selected the 
night before and fastened it over her eyes, a pro- 
ceeding which greatly astonished the witnesses, as 
it was not customary in England. 

Supposing that she was to be beheaded by the 
French method, that is, as she sat upon the stool, 
Mary drew herself up and stiffened her neck for 
the blow, but the executioner, not understanding 
her intention, stood awkwardly with the uplifted 
axe in his hand; at last his assistant laid his hand 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 309 

upon the Queen's head and pushed her forward 
until she fell upon her knees. Then, compre- 
hending what was wanted of her, the Queen 
groped for the block, still clasping her prayer- 
book and crucifix, and finding it, laid her neck 
upon it, placing her joined hands under her chin, 
as if to pray until the last moment, but fearing 
they might be cut off with her head, the assistant 
drew them away, and as Mary said in Latin, " Into 
thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit," the 
executioner raised his axe, which was of the 
kind used to cut wood, and struck the first 
blow. 

Whether from nervousness or awkwardness, he 
struck too high and only fractured the skull, caus- 
ing the book and crucifix to fall from the sufferer's 
hands but not detaching the head; the Queen, 
however, was stunned by the violence of the blow 
and made no movement, so that he had leisure to 
prepare for the second stroke, but even then the 
head did not fall, and a third was necessary to 
sever the shred of flesh which still held it to the 
shoulders ; at last it fell, and the executioner held 
it up to the gaze of the assemblage, crying : 

" God save Queen Elizabeth !" 



3IO MARY STUART, 

"May all her Majesty's foes perish thus!" re- 
joined the Dean of Peterborough. 

" Amen," said the Earl of Kent ; but he was the 
only one ; every other voice was choked by tears 
and sobs. 

At this moment the wig which the Queen had 
worn became unfastened and the real hair, beneath 
the false which she had worn so long, was seen to 
be as gray as a woman of seventy, although she 
was only in her forty-sixth year. Her face had 
changed so in her agony that it was unrecognizable, 
and the sight of it evoked exclamations of horror, 
for the eyes stared awfully and the lips moved as 
if she still prayed ; this appalling spectacle endured 
for some moments, while the beholders remained 
spellbound with horror.* 

* There is a post-mortem portrait of Mary Stuart at Abbots- 
ford ; doubts have been cast on its authenticity, as it represents 
a beautiful woman with luxuriant hair, whereas historians assert 
that the Queen had aged terribly during her long imprisonment, 
and that her hair was quite white. It is claimed, moreover, 
that no one would have been permitted to paint her portrait, and 
that there is no record of such a thing being done ; but it is 
known that one of Mary's ladies had a relative at Fotheringay at 
the time of the execution, and that he was an artist. It is also 
known that the Queen's body lay in one of the rooms of the 
castle for some hours before it was embalmed, and there is there- 
fore a likelihood that this artist managed to paint the portrait 
during this interval between the execution and the autopsy, as 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 31 1 

At last the executioner laid Mary Stuart's head 
beside her body, and her faithful servants rushed 
upon the scaffold and gathered up her prayer-book 
and crucifix as priceless relics ; Jane Kennedy, re- 
membering the little dog, called him softly and 
sought for him everywhere — but he had disap- 
peared. A few moments later, as the executioner 
was untying the Queen's garters he spied the poor 
little creature cowering beneath her petticoat and 
pulled him from his hiding-place, but the terrified 
animal escaped from his grasp and took refuge be- 
tween his dead mistress' shoulders and her head, 
which had been deposited beside her body, where 
he crouched whining pitifully. Despite his efforts 
to escape Jane Kennedy then secured him, and the 
order to clear the hall having been given, she 
carried him away all stained with the Queen's 
blood. 

a memento for his kinswoman of her beloved mistress. It is 
natural that he should not have depicted the Queen with the 
gray hair which was unfamiliar to all her people, but have 
represented her in the auburn wig with which she habitually- 
covered it, which she actually wore at her execution, and which 
fell off when the headsman lifted her head for the assemblage to 
see, and which may still be seen in a collection of historical 
curiosities in France. There is about this portrait an air of 
verisimilitude and a weird beauty that impress the beholder 
strangely. 



312 MARY STUART. 

Bourgoin and Gervais remained after the others 
and entreated Sir Amyas Paulet to allow them to 
remove the Queen's heart, so that they could carry 
it to France as they had promised her, but they 
were roughly refused and driven from the hall, all 
the doors of which were closed and bolted, leaving 
the corpse and the executioner together. 

Brantome affirms that the following infamous 
proceedings then took place : 

The corpse was roughly divested of its clothing, 
carried to the room in which the Queen's trial had 
been held, and there laid upon the very table 
around which her judges had sat, where it lay, 
covered with a coarse black cloth, until two o'clock 
in the afternoon, when Mr. Walters, a surgeon 
from the village of Fotheringay, and Mr. Nater, a 
physician from Stanford, came to embalm it. 
This they did indifferently well in the presence 
of Sir Amyas Paulet and his soldiers, without the 
slightest consideration for the rank or sex of the 
hapless creature, whose body was thus brutally 
exposed to the gaze of all who chose to look upon 
it. This indignity did not, however, accomplish 
the purpose of the venomous creature who insti- 
gated it ; it had been reported that the Queen's 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 313 

legs were swollen and that she was dropsical, but 
those who witnessed the embalming were obliged 
to confess that the body of a maiden in the flower 
of youth could not be more spotless and beau- 
tiful than Mary Stuart's, as she lay dead by 
violence after nineteen years of suffering and 
captivity. 

The autopsy showed the spleen to be in a 
healthy condition, the lungs yellowish in spots, 
and the brain a sixth larger than the average size 
of that organ in women of the same age : every- 
thing promised long life to her whose days had 
been so unjustly curtailed. 

The work of embalming completed and a report 
of the proceedings signed, the Queen's body was 
laid in a lead coffin, which was enclosed in a 
wooden one, and was left lying upon the table until 
the first of August, 1586 — five months after the 
execution — and during all that time no one was 
allowed to go near it. When it was discovered 
that Mary's unhappy servants, who were still de- 
tained at Fotheringay, were in the habit of steal- 
ing to the door and gazing through the keyhole at 
the coffin which contained all that remained of 
their beloved mistress, Sir Amyas Paulet caused 



314 MARY STUART, 

the aperture to be closed, so that even that poor 
comfort was denied them. 

Within an hour after the tragedy was enacted, 
Henry Talbot, who was among those present, set 
out at full speed for London, carrying to Elizabeth 
the welcome intelligence of her rival's death. 
True to her character, Elizabeth displayed the ut- 
most grief and rage, drove her favorites from her 
with violent indignation, claiming that her orders 
had been misunderstood and that they had been 
over-zealous. She sent Davison to the Tower, 
from which prison he was finally released by pay- 
ing an immense fine which completely ruined him. 
But in the midst of this poignant grief Elizabeth 
took care to place an embargo upon every port in 
England, and thus hindered the news of Mary's 
execution from getting abroad until she could put 
a favorable coloring upon the outrageous deed; 
nor did her regret cause her to suppress the scan- 
dalous fetes which celebrated the terrible act in 
London, or to extinguish the bonfires which were 
kindled all over her capital. Not the slightest ef- 
fort was made to induce the public to pay some 
respect to the memory of her victim, and public 
excitement rose to such a pitch that when the 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. S^S 

bonfires in the neighborhood of the French Em- 
bassy lacked fuel a mob forced the doors and carried 
furniture from the building to feed the flames. 

Alarmed at such lawlessness, M. de Chateauneuf 
was still barricaded in the embassy, when, a fort- 
night after Mary's execution, he was invited to 
visit Elizabeth at the Archbishop of Canterbury's 
country seat. He went there with the fixed deter- 
mination not to say one word regarding what had 
occurred; but as soon as he appeared, Elizabeth, 
who was dressed in deep mourning, rose and went 
to meet him ; she overwhelmed him with kindness 
and told him that she was prepared to place all her 
available troops at the service of his master, 
Henri HI., to assist him in crushing the League. 

M. de Chateauneuf received all her offers with 
a stern, cold air, persevering in his intention of 
making no reference to the sad event which had 
caused them both to don mourning garb; but 
Elizabeth taking his hand, drew him aside, and 
pointing to her black gown said, with a heavy 
sigh: 

" Ah, Monsieur, since we last met a great and 
terrible misfortune has befallen me ; I refer to the 
death of my good sister, the Queen of Scotland, 



3i6 MARY STUART. 

and upon my soul's salvation I declare that I am 
innocent of it. I signed the warrant, it is true, 
but I never intended it to be executed, and some 
of my council played a trick upon me, for which 
they should atone with their heads, had they not 
served me so many years. I have a woman's 
body, monsieur, but a man's heart.'* 

The ambassador bowed without replying; but 
his letter to Henri III., and the latter's response, 
proved that neither of them was ever duped by 
this female Tiberius. 

For five months the Queen's unfortunate ser- 
vants were held in captivity at Fotheringay, and 
the disfigured body lay there awaiting burial. 
Elizabeth claimed that this condition of affairs 
existed because she required time to arrange for 
the grand funeral she intended giving her " good 
sister Mary," but the truth was that she dare not 
have the public, royal burial follow so close upon the 
secret and infamous execution, and desired to post- 
pone the obsequies until the reports she had cir- 
culated were generally accredited before the real 
truth should be known from the lips of Mary's re- 
tainers. She hoped that when the world had 
formed an opinion regarding Mary Stuart's death. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 3i7 

it would be too indifferent to change it, and that 
time and current events would efface the interest 
which Catholic princes took in her fate ; so it was 
not until jailers and prisoners were completely 
worn out that, having been officially informed that 
the poorly embalmed body could be kept no longer, 
she at last commanded that the funeral should take 
place. 

On the first day of August tailors and dress- 
makers, sent by Elizabeth, arrived at Fotheringay 
laden with black materials and charged to provide 
all the dead Queen's household with mourning ; 
Mary's servants, however, declined their services, 
for, not anticipating such generosity on the part of 
the Queen of England, they had, at their own 
expense, donned mourning immediately after their 
mistress' death. 

At eight o'clock in the evening of the eighth 
of August, a funeral car, covered with black velvet 
and adorned with small banners embroidered in 
gold with the arms of Scotland, which were the 
Queen's, and of Aragon, which were Darnley's, 
and drawn by four horses with sable trappings, 
appeared before the gates of Fotheringay Castle. 
It was followed by the King-at-arms and twenty 



3l8 MARY STUART, 

mounted gentlemen, with their squires and 
lackeys, all dressed in deep mourning ; the King- 
at-arms dismounted and, conducted by Sir Amyas 
Paulet, went with his whole suite to the hall 
where the body lay and caused the coffin to be 
carried down and placed on the car, the whole 
party being bareheaded and preserving profound 
silence during the entire proceeding. 

This transaction excited the prisoners greatly, 
and they counselled together as to the propriety 
of requesting permission to attend the body of 
their mistress, on the ground that they could not 
bear to have it depart unattended by any of her 
household, but as they were about to send and re- 
quest an interview with the King-at-arms, that 
dignitary entered the room where they were as- 
sembled, and informed them that he was charged 
by his august mistress, the Queen of England, to 
do honor to the late Queen of Scotland with the 
most magnificent funeral possible. He said that 
not wishing to fail in the fulfilment of so impor- 
tant a mission, he had already completed most of 
the arrangements for the ceremony which was to 
take place on the tenth, and that, the lead casket 
which enclosed the corpse being very heavy, he 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 319 

had judged wisest to take it that night to the tomb 
which was already prepared instead of waiting 
until the day of the funeral, but that if any of 
them desired to follow their mistress' body and 
see what disposition was made of it, they were free 
to do so, also that it was Queen Elizabeth's ex- 
press desire that all of them should be present at 
the funeral ceremony. 

This assurance eased the minds of the captives 
and they deputed Bourgoin, Gervais, Andrew 
Melvill, Stewart, Gorgon, Howard, Lauder, and 
Nicolas Delamarre to follow their mistress. 

The procession left Fotheringay at ten o'clock, 
Mary's servants walking behind the car, which was 
preceded by the King-at-arms and his suite, accom- 
panied by footmen carrying torches ; they reached 
Peterborough at two o'clock in the morning and 
marched directly to the beautiful old Saxon cathe- 
dral where Catherine of Aragon was buried. They 
found the edifice hung with black and the nave 
ornamented with banners bearing the arms of 
Scotland and Aragon. In the centre of the choir 
a structure was erected in the style of a chape lie 
ardente, but without lighted candles ; it was cov- 
ered with black velvet, embroidered with the arms 



320 MARY STUART, 

of Stuart and Darnley, and a resting-place for the 
pall was prepared beneath it ; the bier was cov- 
ered with black velvet, fringed with silver, and 
upon it was a pillow covered with the same mate- 
rial on which lay a sceptre and crown. 

To the right of the bier, and facing Catherine 
of Aragon's sepulchre, a grave had been prepared 
for Mary of Scotland ; it was of brick and so con- 
structed that it could be covered later with a 
marble slab, or a monument be built over it. The 
Bishop of Peterborough, arrayed in his episcopal 
robes and accompanied by his Dean and minor 
clergy, awaited the arrival of the body at the 
cathedral door and preceded it as it was borne 
into the church, and in profound silence, without 
prayer or hymn, the coffin was lowered into the 
grave. As soon as it was in place masons filled 
in the grave to the level of the surrounding pave- 
ment, leaving only an aperture a foot and a half 
in length which they closed with an iron grating, 
the bars of which permitted one to look down upon 
the casket, and would later permit the broken 
staves of office, the banners and insignia to fall 
upon it, as was then customary at the obsequies 
of royal personages. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 3^1 

When this nocturnal ceremony was at an end, 
Bourgoin, Melvill, and their companions were 
conducted to the episcopal residence, where all 
those appointed to attend the final obsequies were 
to assemble. Three hundred and fifty persons, all 
of whom, with the exception of Mary's servants, 
had been selected from the officers of justice, 
nobility, gentry, and Protestant clergy, were to 
be present at the funeral service. 

On the ninth of August the banquet-hall of the 
palace was hung with splendid black-and-silver 
drapery, and elaborate preparations were made for 
the entertainment of those who had been invited 
to attend the funeral rites of the victim of Eliza- 
beth's jealousy. Bourgoin and Melvill frequently 
had their attention called to the costly and impos- 
ing arrangements made for their Queen's funeral, 
which bore witness to Elizabeth's respect for her 
and regret for her untimely death ; convinced that 
they had been permitted to take part in these pom- 
pous proceedings rather that they might witness 
the magnificence of England's Queen, than to afford 
them the satisfaction of witnessing their mistress' 
interment, Mary's luckless servants showed but 
little pleasure in this ostentatious display. 



21 



322 MAJ^y STUART. 

On Friday, the tenth of August, all those de- 
puted to attend the obsequies having assembled at 
the palace, they formed in procession according to 
rank and marched to the cathedral ; on entering 
the edifice Bourgoin and the others took the places 
assigned them in the choir and the choristers be- 
gan to chant the funeral service of the Episcopal 
Church, but when the old physician saw that the 
service was not to be performed by Catholic priests 
he rose and left the church, declaring he would not 
be a party to such an insult to his Queen ; he was 
followed by all Mary's servants except Melvill and 
Maubray, who reasoned that in whatever tongue 
prayers were uttered they would be heard above. 

The assemblage were greatly scandalized by the 
action of the dead Queen's people, but the Bishop, 
nevertheless, preached an eloquent funeral sermon ; 
when it was ended the King-at-arms sought out 
Bourgoin and his companions, who were walking 
in the cloisters, and informed them that holy com- 
munion was about to be celebrated and invited 
them to take part in the service, but they re- 
sponded that they were Catholics and could not 
partake of the sacrament at an altar of which they 
did not approve. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 323 

Much annoyed that the ceremonies should be 
marred by their conduct, the King-at-arms re- 
turned to the church, but after a little he sent 
word that the religious services were ended, and 
requested them to return and be present at the 
royal ceremonies, which pertained to no religion ; 
this, after a few minutes' hesitation, they agreed 
to do, but when they arrived the staves of office 
were already broken and with the banners lay 
upon their mistress' coffin, and workmen were re- 
paring to set the slab which closed the grave. 

The procession then returned to the Bishop's 
palace, where a sumptuous funeral banquet was 
spread. By a strange freak, Elizabeth, who had 
punished the living like a criminal, heaped royal 
honors upon the dead, and had commanded that 
Mary's faithful servants should be the guests of 
honor at this mortuary feast ; but they did not ap- 
preciate her tardy kindness and were neither as- 
tonished by the magnificence of the appointments 
nor cheered by the rich fare ; tears choked them, 
and they were scarcely able to respond to the ques- 
tions asked them, and the attentions lavished upon 
them. 

When the feast was over they asked permission 



324 MARY STUART, 

to return to Fotheringay, where they were at last 
informed that they were at liberty to go whither- 
soever they chose. Feeling their lives were in 
danger so long as they were on English soil, they 
hastily collected their belongings and took their 
departure from Fotheringay Castle on foot on 
Monday, August 13, 1587. 

Christian though he was, Bourgoin could not 
forgive Elizabeth for the suffering she had inflicted 
upon his beloved Queen ; he was the last to leave 
the castle, and when he reached the further side 
of the drawbridge he turned about and shook his 
clenched fist at the regicide walls, repeating in a 
loud and solemn voice the words of David : 

" O Lord, give them according to their deeds, 
and according to the wickedness of their endeavors ; 
give them according to the work of their hands, 
render to them their deserts." 

The old man's prayer was heard, for Elizabeth 
died an unloved and unhappy woman, and impar- 
tial history has condemned her. 

We remarked that the headsman's axe, when it 
imbedded itself in Mary Stuart's skull, caused her 
crucifix and prayerbook to fall from her hands and 
that they were picked up by some of her suite. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 325 

We cannot say what has become of the crucifix, 
but the book is in the Bibliotheque Royale, where 
it can be seen by those who are interested in his- 
toric souvenirs. Its authenticity is vouched for 
by two certificates, which we quote ; they are in- 
scribed upon one of the fly-leaves of the volume. 

First Certificate. 

We, the undersigned, superieur vicaire de I'^troit 
observance of the Order of Cluny, certify that this 
book was delivered to us by the order of the late 
Don Michel Nardin, a priest of our said order, 
who departed this life at our College of St. Mar- 
tial of Avignon, on the twenty-eighth of March, 
1723, aged eighty years, thirty of which he passed 
among us, leading a life of exemplary piety ; he 
was a German by birth, and served a long time as 
an officer in that army. He was admitted at 
Cluny and took orders there, having laid aside all 
thought of worldly possessions and honors ; with 
the permission of the Superior he retained posses- 
sion of this book only, knowing it to have been in 
constant use by Mary Stuart, Queen of England 
and Scotland, up to the end of her life. Before 
death separated him from his brethren, he re- 
quested that this book, in order that it might surely 
reach us, should be sent to us by post in a sealed 



326 MAJ^V STUART, 

package. In the same shape in which we have 
received it, we have requested M. I'Abbe Bignon, 
Councillor of State and Royal Librarian, to accept 
this precious souvenir of the piety of a Queen of 
England and a German officer of her faith and 
ours. 

(Signed) Frere' Gerard Poncet, 

Superieur Vicaire General. 

Second Certificate. 

We, Jean Paul Bignon, Royal Librarian, are 
very glad of the opportunity to demonstrate our 
zeal for the religion by placing this manuscript in 
his Majesty's library. 

(Signed) Jean Pierre Bignon. 

July 8th, 1 72 1. 

This book, upon which the last glance of the 
unfortunate Queen of Scotland rested, is a duo- 
decimo, written in Gothic characters and contain- 
ing Latin prayers; it is embellished with gilt 
miniatures in relief representing devotional sub- 
jects, scenes from sacred history or from the lives 
of the saints and martyrs. Each page is bordered 
by an arabesque in which garlands of flowers and 
fruits are mingled and from which grotesque faces 
of men and animals peep out. The binding, which 



QUEEN OF SCOTS. 327 

is now much worn, consists of a black velvet cover 
whose flat sides have, in the centre, enamelled 
pansies entangled in catkins of silver ; two twisted 
and knotted silver-gilt cords, finished at either 
end with tassels, extend diagonally from corner to 
corner of the cover. 

Copy of the last will, and of a memoir of the 
late Queen, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland and 
Dowager of France, taken from the originals, 
written and signed with the Queen's own hand, the 
one on the day before and the other on the very 
day of her death, which occurred February 8th, 
1587: 

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost : 

I, Mary, by the grace of God Queen of Scot- 
land and Dowager of France, being prepared to 
die and being unable to make my will, do commit 
my last wishes to writing, intending and wishing 
that they may have the same force and effect as if 
they were put in proper form. 

I declare that I die in the Catholic, Apostolic, 
Roman faith. 

In the first place I wish that a full service 
should be performed for the repose of my soul in 
the church of St, Denis in Paris, and another at 



328 MARY STUART. 

St. Peter's at Rheims, at which all my servants 
may be present, in such manner as I have given 
instructions to those who have the matter in 
charge. 

Also, that a yearly obit shall be founded, that 
prayers may be said for my soul forever in such 
place and manner as shall be deemed most suitable. 
To provide therefore, I desire my houses at Fon- 
tainebleau to be sold, trusting that, in addition 
thereto, the King will assist herein, as he is re- 
quested in my memoir. 

I desire my estate of Trespagny to pass to my 
cousin, the Duke of Guise, for one of his daughters 
if she should be married. I will remit half or a 
part, of the arrearages due me on condition that 
the residue be paid, to be employed by my ex- 
ecutors in perpetual alms. The better to effect 
this result the papers should be found, so that legal 
proceedings may be instituted. 

I desire, also, that the proceeds of my Secondat 
litigation be distributed as follows : 

First, in payment of my debts and obligations 
hereafter mentioned. 

First of all, Curl's two thousand crowns, which 
I wish paid him without demur, as they were to 
have been given him upon his marriage, nor can 
Nane, nor any other, demand any portion of it from 
him, whatever obligations he may hold, for it is 
only a pretence, and the money was mine and not 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 329 

borrowed ; I simply caused it to be shown to him 
and then withdrew it, and it was afterward taken 
from me with the rest. I give him Charteloy, if 
he can recover it, in payment of the four thousand 
crowns promised at my death, and a thousand for 
the marriage of one of his sisters, and because he 
asked me for the rest of his expenses while in 
prison. As for the assignment of a like sum to 
Nane, it is not obligatory and it has always been 
my intention that he should be the last paid, and 
then only if nothing should appear to have been 
done contrary to the conditions on which I 
promised them to him, as my servants will bear 
witness. As for the twelve hundred crowns which 
he borrowed for my service, six hundred from 
Beauregard, three hundred from Gervais, and the 
rest I know not where, he must repay them from 
his purse, and I be released therefrom and the ob- 
ligation cancelled, for I received none of it and the 
whole is now in his coffers if they- are not already 
paid. However that may be, that sum must be 
restored to me intact as I have had none of it, and 
if it was paid I ought to have recourse as to my 
own property; and I also desire that Pasquier 
shall account for the sums he had received, and 
expended at Nane's bidding, through the hands of 
M. de Chateauneuf, the French ambassador's ser- 
vants. 

I desire that my accounts be audited and my 



330 MARY STUART, 

treasurer paid ; also, that the wages and portions of 
my people, for the past year as well as the present, 
should all be paid before anything else, pensions 
as well as wages (except Nane's and Curl's pen- 
sions) as far as it is possible to know what is com- 
ing to them, and what they have deserved at my 
hands in the way of pensions, unless Curl's wife 
is in necessitous circumstances, or is persecuted 
on my account ; the same as to Nane's wages. 

I desire that the twenty-four hundred francs I 
have given Jane Kennedy shall be paid her in 
silver, as was provided in her first gift, whereby 
the pension of Volley {sic) Douglas will revert to 
me, which I give to Fontenay for his services and 
expenses, as yet unrewarded. 

I desire that the four thousand crowns should be 
solicited and collected from the banker whose 
name I have now forgotten — but the Bishop of 
Glasgow will remember it — and if the first assign- 
ment is missing I desire that one should be given 
upon the first avails of Secondat. The ten thou- 
sand francs which the Ambassador has received for 
me I wish divided among my servants who are now 
leaving me, namely : 

Two thousand francs to my physician. 

Two thousand to Elspeth Curie. 

Two thousand to Sebastian Paiges. 

Two thousand to Marie Paiges, my goddaughter. 

One thousand francs to Beauregard. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 331 

One thousand to Gorjon. 

One thousand to Gervais. 

From the avails of my income and the residue 
from Secondat, and from all miscellaneous sources, 
I wish five thousand crowns to be employed in 
charity among the children of Rheims. 

To my schoolmates, two thousand francs. 

To the four beggars, such sum as may seem 
proper to my executors according to the means 
they have at hand. 

To my chief cook, Martin, I give a thousand 
francs. 

A thousand francs to Annibal, and I bequeath 
him to his godfather, my cousin, de Guise, that 
he may give him some place in his household for 
life. 

I leave five hundred francs to Nicolas, and five 
hundred for his daughters when they marry. 

I leave five hundred francs to Robert Hamilton, 
and beg my son to take him, or his Grace of Glas- 
gow, or the Bishop of Ross. 

I leave to Didier his clerkship, subject to the 
King's favor. I give five hundred francs to Jean 
Lauder, and beg my cousins, de Guise or de 
Maine, to take him into their service, their graces 
of Glasgow and Ross to see that he is provided for. 
I desire his father's wages to be paid, and I leave 
him five hundred francs. 

I desire that a thousand francs be paid to Gor- 



332 MARY STUART, 

jon to reimburse him for money and other things 
furnished me in time of need. 

I desire, if Bourgoin make the pilgrimage to St. 
Nicolas, which he has undertaken to make for me, 
that fifteen hundred francs be paid him on that 
account. 

I leave six thousand francs to the Bishop of 
Glasgow and three thousand to him of Ross, said 
sums being apportioned according to my limited 
means. 

I leave my miscellaneous properties and seig- 
norial rights to my godson, M. du Ruysseau's son. 

I give three thousand francs to Laurenz. 

Also three thousand francs to Suzanne. 

I leave ten thousand francs to be distributed 
among the four who become sureties for me to the 
solicitor, Varmy. 

I desire that the proceeds from the sale of the 
furniture, which I have ordered to be sold at Lon- 
don, be applied to defray the expenses of my ser- 
vants' journey to France. 

I leave my coach and horses to be used for the 
transportation of my maids, or to be sold as is 
most convenient to them. 

There are about a hundred crowns of salary due 
Bourgoin for previous years, and I wish them to 
be paid him. 

I leave two thousand francs to Melvill, my 
steward. 



QUEEN OF SCOTS, 333 

I appoint my cousin, the Duke de Guise, chief 
executor of my will. 

After him the Bishop of Glasgow, the Bishop of 
Ross, and M. de Rysseau, his chancellor. 

It is my purpose that Le Preau shall continue 
to enjoy his two prebends. 

I commend my goddaughter, Marie Paiges, to 
my cousin, Madame de Guise, and beg her to take 
her into her service, and my aunt, Madame de 
Saint- Pierre, to find some good place for Mow- 
bray, or to retain her in her own service, for the 
honor of God. 

Done this 7th day of February, 1587, 

And signed, Marie, Queen. 

Memoir 

Or the last request which I make of the King, 
Henry III. of France. To pay me both what he 
owes me on account of my pensions and the money 
advanced by the late Queen, my mother, in Scot- 
land, for the service of the King, my father-in- 
law, in his kingdom, or at least so much thereof as 
will found an obit for the repose of my soul, and 
provide for the alms and trifling endowments 
promised by me. 

Also that he will be pleased to permit my 
Dowager's jointure to be paid a year after my 
death in order that my servants may be paid. 

Also, if he so please to allow them to receive 



334 MARY STUART, QUEEN OF SCOTS, 

their wages and pensions during their lives, as was 
done in the case of the Queen Eleanor's officers. 

I also beg him to receive my physician into his 
service as he promised, and to hold him in esteem. 

Also, that my chaplain may be restored to his 
profession, and, for my sake, provided with some 
small living where he may pray God for my soul 
during the remainder of his life. 

Also, that Didier, an old retainer of my cuisine, 
to whom I have given a clerkship as a recompense, 
may be permitted to enjoy it for the remainder of 
his days, he being, already well advanced in years. 

Done on the morning of my death, Wednesday, 
February 8th, 1587. 

And signed, Marie, Queen. 



DEC -0 19'(2 



